I miss you Tina

My best friend Tina passed away on October 12. It's weird, because she had the most life of any person I have ever met. I don't know how to honor her enough. I love her, my family loves her, and many, many other people love her.

I met Tina in 1985, when she came to F.I.T. She had a string of big black beads around her neck, and she was so full of energy and life. I was her R.A. (Resident Assistant), kind of like a den-mother in the dorm. After probably one quarter, Tina moved into my room. We had some crazy times.

After F.I.T., Tina and I both moved around, but we were never farther apart than a phone call. She was my maid of honor, or the 'cheeseburger' as my niece Mandie called her. She came to our house in Port St. John, and we practiced together for her firefighter physical exam. She was at the hospital when Chase was born. She visited us in Phoenix several times - we rode a hot-air balloon together there, and we took day trips to Sedona and Jerome. She came to Illinois, even in the middle of winter. She surpised me in 2003 for my birthday, when this picture was taken. She offered to drive with Chase, Ty, our dog Garp, and me to Washington when we were moving there. That was a great trip. Tina always convinced me to overcome fears and experience things. On that road trip to Washington, she talked me into going on a helicopter ride over the Badlands - that was scary. During a trip to Las Vegas, she talked me into riding the roller coaster on top of the Stratosphere - and now I can say that I did it.

The last 3 years were very tough for Tina. She had several medical procedures done, and had found little relief from the constant pain in her abdomen and the nausea and pain she had every time she ate. I flew to Pensacola for one procedure, and I drove with her and her mom Janice from Orlando to Indiana, where she had another procedure done to open up a duct in her pancreas. She spent a month in the hospital late this summer fighting a persistent infection.

Tina's proudest accomplishment was being a firefighter and a paramedic. The fire department honored her with the most beautiful service I could imagine. She volunteered her time with the Fire Department Explorers, whom she led for several years. The most touching moment at her service was when a man named Carlos spoke. He met Tina when he was 12 years old, and she helped him get on with the Explorers. Carlos is now a firefighter and a paramedic. When he didn't have enough money to get through paramedic school, Tina gave him the money - thousands of dollars. I never knew this. He thanked Tina for being a mom to him, for teaching him things - even simple things like tying a necktie.

I could go on and on. I love Tina. I thank her for making my life better just by being a part of it. I thank her for making the lives of many other people better. I will always miss her.