jppe

A very good friend, fellow PE and coworker died of an apparent heart attack yesterday at the age of 57. Not sure of all the details but he had gone out for a bike ride, his wife ran some errands and came home and found him unresponsive. He was "all in" with everything he did whether it was hiking, skiing, casinos, cycling, rebuilding MG's, offering assistance or professional involvement. He'd completed hiking the Appalachian Trail, was working on the Ca(?) Trail and even completed Cycle NC this past September. I joined up with him in Omaha in 2013 and we enjoyed the College World Series together to watch our college team play. We'd talked about him joining me in Colorado for a week long tour at some point. I had mentored him while we worked together as he replaced me in several roles in the company we work with. No health warnings that I'm aware of. Really, really good guy and was happy to call him a friend.

Dave Cutter

My brother pasted away from a sudden massive (and first and only) heart attack. Although he had, known health issues it was still a surprise. These things do happen.

Sorry about the lost of your friend.

VNA

It is so sad to read your post, health is a crap shoot--had a similar situation with a very close friend who was a health nut!

There is no telling!

Condolences to the family and friends.

Bikey Mikey

Sorry to hear about this. Condolences.

trekmogul 

So sorry to hear this also. You just never know..Gosh

cobolman

Sorry about the loss of your friend.

There was a fellow at work few years ago who had been a serious runner all his life. He was not feeling well and did not bother to see a doctor. He went home one day and died the next. I don’t think that he was even 50.

I retired at the age of 66 even though I liked my work. When they asked me why I said that I didn’t want them to name a conference room after me which is what happened to those who died on the job.

qcpmsame 

Tough time, Joe, sorry to learn about your colleagues passing so suddenly.

Bill

Biker395 

Jeez ... I'm sorry. Another reason to get that heart CT scan I've been putting off ...

Our time on Earth is limited, and being "all in" is the best anyone can do. I hope my buds have the same thing to say about me when the time comes.

zonatandem

At age 82 have not many 'old' friends left.
Lost a bunch during WWII, a few more during the Korean War and gradually most of them passed on from one thing or another.
Life is temporary . . . enjoy it while your can!

OldsCOOL

I'm sorry to hear of your loss of such a good friend. They are hard to find and too soon to go.

curbtender

"We are but memories to those we leave behind" Sounds like he left good ones, sorry for your loss.

Deal4Fuji

Very scary when a healthy, fit person dies of a heart attack...so sorry

flan48

+1!
Best regards

RideMyWheel

I'm sorry for your loss, but there are positives to take from it, as well as counting the blessing of having just one friend like that in your life. I've learned that we're extremely lucky if we can name just one solid friend at the end of our lives.

The other thing I've learned in the past few years is that none of us can control when we go, but we do have a certain degree of control over the quality of life of our final years, however many they will be. That's what we're all trying to do here. I've watched dozens spend the final 20-25 years of their lives sitting in a chair, not feeling well, but somehow being sustained by modern medicine. I'm watching one closely now. I don't want to be that guy, and that's why I ride.

rumrunn6

sorry for your loss. we never know when we're begining our last day. here's wishing you, his family and other friends strength right now, the time and distraction to keep moving and nothing but the best memories

KenshiBiker

I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your friend.

KB

NOS88

So sorry. My deepest sympathy for your loss.

Pamestique 

Sounds like a cool guy and good friend... at least he got his ride in...if I am going out, I want to think I will get my ride in as well.

As I continue to lose friends and family members, I keep telling myself stop putting things off, do them today, call up so and so, clean out the garage and the closets, make sure fincial papers are in order and don't put off that ride until tomorrow...

...take care.

jppe

Thanks for the thoughts everyone. He's about all I've thought about this week. I had a vacation today trying to use it all up by years end played golf. My mind was anywhere but on the golf course. I wake up at 3 am and think about tubing down the NC rivers before marriage and kids plus tons of other antics that were things we all enjoyed in our 20's...... He has two offices at work and I volunteered to do an inventory of his work backlog and gather his personal things for his wife. Even though it's not my area of work I just didn't want anyone else messing with my buddy's stuff. Some folks had placed some flowers outside his office door.....folks kept coming by telling stories about our buddy. Very engaging & well liked person. Whenever we needed to talk to each other about business we'd spend the first 20 minutes catching up on other stuff before we hit the business items. I'm going to miss that.

Pamestique----I can't tell you how many times I've discussed those things with myself that last few days. I'm a long term thinker & planner (my buddy was too) and I'm having to rethink all that stuff.

ModeratedUser150120149

Sorry to hear about your friend.

It brings to mind conversations among several people recently. We are all about quality not quantity when it comes to life. Then, we've come to grips with the inevitability of death. So, to me, it is not being dead that causes anxiety; it is getting dead. A quick cardiac arrhythmia causing death is, in many ways a blessing for the person.

Doesn't change the sorrow in friends and family though.

Pamestique 

I have a story similar ot yours... in 2005, my fiance, a very fit, active cyclist, after we had a nice hard ride, drove home, walked in the front door and died... heart attack. Someone found him the next morning...

Anyway, I and his family were tasked with going through his belongings... oh good lord, he was practically a hoarder. I get it, he was out riding and having fun and planned to get to those things at some point. It took months to sort through all his things... some things I know he would hate for others to find. Also, he was a "grasshopper" had not planned as he was still young and well, there was a big fight between relatives, an ex-wife, daughter etc for his house and bank accounts.

My mother and father passed recently and I am still cleaning up that mess... what it taught me is 1) it is never too early to set up a trust or at least have a Will and make your final wishes known to all and 2) I don't want to leave the task of cleaning out my garage to my loved ones. I am still working on it, but I am gradually getting rid of anything that I am not actively using (much of which is donated to charity). My house is clean... last place I need to go is the garage, Just got to get it done...

Also not certain if you have children... my mother and father just assumed we three siblings will get along and divid things up equitably. Well not so... there is one crazy sibling and now lawsuits are flying. My mistake, not sitting down with my folks and speaking with them what they wanted to happen and what they have done to ensure it happens. I know there was a Will at one time, but the Will "disappeared". Had I just made a copy of said Will.... anyway, lots to think about, makes my brain hurt!

qcpmsame 

Words of wisdom, Pam, you found out the hard way about relatives and infighting from what I have read in a few of your posts. Monica and I have wills that get updated as necessary, with codicils, and our executors have copies. We let them know they are our chosen executor, and our lawyer has them on file. Fortunately, the few family we two have lost had wills that were known, and no infighting was experienced, thankfully. Her dad passed away in 2011, Monica had done a lot of his planning for him, her area of expertise, and her mom was active in the planning. Few get the time he had, or have the courage to face facts. He had "terminal" COPD, from 60 years of heavy smoking. Everything had been executed for the trusts, the succession line in our business was clear and we met soon afterwards to make sure everyone knew what was being done. We were lucky that he believed in having things planned. I don't want any confusion when I leave the place for good.

Joe, you are a good friend, and person, to take on that task, it speaks about your character. I am sorry for your loss, you and all his family are in my prayers.

Bill

02Giant 

Really bites...too young.

ModeratedUser150120149

Reinforcing what Bill said. My mother had the fortune/misfortune to know her end was nigh. She, took care of everything in advance. Took a lot of courage. And for that I will forever give her the utmost respect. When the end came all her heirs had to do was clean out her residence and sign paperwork. No way to let emotions of he moment create long term difficulties.

I am doing the same. Although, to be frank, I still hold out hope that I'm a long lost part of Heinlein's Lazarus family.

LGHT

Wow that's pretty young sorry for your loss.

@Pamestique A close friend is going through the same thing after her younger brother and wife were both killed in a car accident. Now the older siblings, parents, and grandparents are all in court trying to decide custody and who gets what and how to determine custody. The bad part is because there was no trust / will essentially the fate of the children gets decided by a judge who never met any of them. Not surprising I booked her an appointment at my law firm to update her will to a trust since she has 2 girls of her own.