AOL Journals: Pixel Pusher

The coffin was too small. Bob Wooldridge wasn't a particularly imposing guy physically, but there was way too much Bob in the world to fit in that little coffin at the funeral home.

I put my hand on it, sort of where his shoulder would have gone and took a deep breath, pretending not to feel a low hum in my hand. It wasn't like the big electric shocks you got in your gut whenever he made you double over with laughter, or like the cracking signals you'd get from Bob when he was emailing a terse series of dry, sometimes savage jokes.

I kept expecting to see him come shuffling out of the men's room and buy a Coke from the vending machine. Or get an IM from him that said, "Hey man, the memorial's off. There was a HUGE mistake at the coroner's office, but everything should be fine now." I sent him an e-mail this morning just to double-check, but he hasn't written me back yet. You've got to give people time, though.

Regular readers of AOL Journals know that we lost a great guy this week to a terrible accident. I'm going to spare myself the trouble of typing the details all over again, but one thing bears repeating: You didn't have to know Bob long or well to have him make a mark on you.

People have been posting and blogging tributes to Bob all week. I'm just trying to keep a collection of tributes and farewells to Bob here so they can all be in one place. If you wrote one or found one you want me to include, leave a link in the comments or send me an e-mail and I'll put it in.

So here goes:

From the Washington Post
Guest Book for Robert Henry Wooldridge, Jr.
Head Butler
Mr. Irrelevant's Sports Blog
Magic Smoke
Hummingbird Mind, a followup
High Above Courtside
Want, Need, Have
Pixel Pusher
The Diecast Dude's (Mostly) NASCAR Blah Blah Blog
Out Of the Brew...
Bottom of the Food Chain
Mountain Views
Lush Factor

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• #2 Comment from queenb8261 
  7/20/06 10:48 PM | Permalink

  Life is too short.
  My deepest sympathies.
  Barb  http://journals.aol.com/queenb8261/DiaryofaMadwoman/
• #1 Comment from dougsbabygirl31 
  7/20/06 4:57 PM | Permalink

  Again, I am so sorry for your loss... Nothing I can say will make it better, I know... But sometimes it is the thought that counts. Tawnya