May 9, 1999
I have been browsing the Rick webpage and felt the need to write a letter to replace the one I have written on the page. I know it has been over three years. I remember when he died. I hadn’t seen him since Christmas. I was in second grade. I must have been 8 or 9. I remember my brothers (Evan, 6 or 7 then, and Jack, about 4 or 5 then) and I reading a story on the living room couch. The phone rang, but my dad beat me to it. (I’m Bob’s daughter. Bob was Rick’s younger brother) I remember him coming into the living room crying. My dad hardly ever cries. He told us Uncle Rick had died in a car crash. I remember breaking into sobs and leaning against my dad. We all cried for quite awhile. It was just me and the boys and Dad. Rachael (My older sister) was out somewhere.
I remember at the funeral, our Pastor, Dwight Netzer, reading part of Ger’s "As remembered by his friend Ger". I sort of feel closer to him when I read that, I feel like I know him better. It feels good to know what he was like in high school. As I read about places they went I think of them. Next year I will be going to Brookside, mentioned as a Junior High but now it’s the Middle School. Last week, in fact, they took us on a tour of the school and I remember hearing stories about what they would do.
It was kind of funny, looking at the pictures. One comes to mind of Matt (my cousin, Dave’s son) and my Dad and Rick and Dad and Rick have really shaggy curly hair. God, I miss him. I remember after he died, when we went to clear out his apartment. He had a bulletin board and it had a couple of pictures I colored him as a little kid. It felt good to know he kept those. I don’t know anyone else who would have. I feel kind of bad, knowing I wouldn’t even be writing this if he hadn’t died. I mean, sure, I wouldn’t need to, but we got his computer. Sure, my dad probably would have bought one anyway, but… I remember Rick once teasing my dad by calling him Bobby Pin. It was just a little thing, bringing back a nickname he had called him as a kid.
Sincerely,
Anna Sturtz
An email to reach me at (who’d want to, but just in case)
Rubyjewel@gurlmail.comOr
Superpsychogirl@email.com