Joel Curry
I received devastating news yesterday................... My childhood friend died in a tragic car wreck on Sunday. His death has really affected me.............. and I find my self heartbroken and grieving for him.
Joel had been in the U.S. Air Force as a crew chief for F-15 fighter jets and had served a six year tour in Saudi Arabia (starting after 9-11). He was married with a little girl, and they had just had a second child five weeks ago. This, however, is not the Joel that I knew.
The Joel I knew:
Joel was cool even before I really knew what cool was. He was the first kid that I knew to get a TrapperKeeper, a wristwatch that beeped on the hour, and the first guy our age to have a real girlfriend. He taught me to cuss and how to wrestle, and he was with me both times that I broke my arm. Joel introduced me to Boom-boxes, skateboarding, spitting for distance, the Beastie Boys, and DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. We learned to build forts in the woods together and how to use mud clumps as grenades against my neighbor. We had a daily ritual of turning our fifteen minute walk to school into a forty-five minute adventure. We learned all the trails in the woods together and how to get someone unstuck from a drain pipe. We learned that crab apples make an amazing mess when run over by a car. Joel covered the top of my hand with miniature band aids after I scraped all the skin off while skateboarding (I still have the scar on the top of my hand). Joel even helped me come up with the excuse for how it had happened. The poster of Jose Conseco he gave me for my birthday still hangs in my old room. Adventure always seemed to follow Joel. I was lucky to be his friend.
We eventually lost touch. Our high school was big enough to loose friends in... I have not seen him in at least eleven years.
I miss Joel.
I really do.
I hate that I will not get to see him at some reunion or that I won't get to run into him when I am home visiting....
I do miss him........
Spring of 1989 in one of our forts.
This is the only picture that I have with my friend.
Joel had been in the U.S. Air Force as a crew chief for F-15 fighter jets and had served a six year tour in Saudi Arabia (starting after 9-11). He was married with a little girl, and they had just had a second child five weeks ago. This, however, is not the Joel that I knew.
The Joel I knew:
Joel was cool even before I really knew what cool was. He was the first kid that I knew to get a TrapperKeeper, a wristwatch that beeped on the hour, and the first guy our age to have a real girlfriend. He taught me to cuss and how to wrestle, and he was with me both times that I broke my arm. Joel introduced me to Boom-boxes, skateboarding, spitting for distance, the Beastie Boys, and DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. We learned to build forts in the woods together and how to use mud clumps as grenades against my neighbor. We had a daily ritual of turning our fifteen minute walk to school into a forty-five minute adventure. We learned all the trails in the woods together and how to get someone unstuck from a drain pipe. We learned that crab apples make an amazing mess when run over by a car. Joel covered the top of my hand with miniature band aids after I scraped all the skin off while skateboarding (I still have the scar on the top of my hand). Joel even helped me come up with the excuse for how it had happened. The poster of Jose Conseco he gave me for my birthday still hangs in my old room. Adventure always seemed to follow Joel. I was lucky to be his friend.
We eventually lost touch. Our high school was big enough to loose friends in... I have not seen him in at least eleven years.
I miss Joel.
I really do.
I hate that I will not get to see him at some reunion or that I won't get to run into him when I am home visiting....
I do miss him........
Spring of 1989 in one of our forts. This is the only picture that I have with my friend.
Labels: family story, history, thoughts
3 Comments:
I just saw this and I'm so sorry. Still praying for you throughout today.
TP
Wallace, I'm so sorry to hear this news; I know it makes you take stock of your own life/relationships/significance and I pray as you do that, God will speak to you.
I've studied the photo of you and your pal closely, and can't exactly work out which one is you. Would you be the one with the blue socks??
knnuki... yep... blue knee socks and a pink shirt... can't you tell that I needed a cool friend?
Thanks for your comment... and your humor. I needed a laugh!
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