Greetings,
I know the chances of any of you knowing this man are slim to none,
but he deserves the any memorial that man can provide, and I would be
remiss in my human obligations not to speak his name.
Michael Everitt Durch was the best man I have ever known. He may not
have been a woodworker, but he was a devoted family man and one of the
most decent and upright human beings I have ever had the pleasure of
knowing. He died on April 27th, 2005ev at the age of 52 of systemic
cancer, and left behind a son and a daughter by blood, and several
sons in spirit, of which I can only hope to number myself one. In the
fourteen years in which I knew him, he was more a father to me than my
biological father ever has been. He was there when ever I needed him,
providing all the support- both emotional and material- that my father
could not or would not provide. While we differed in many opinions,
many spiritual, he never waivered in his unceasing devotion and
attention to either my well-being, or the well-being of any person in
his wide circle of friends and relations.
When I needed him, he was there- even when no one, not even myself,
thought I was worth the air I breathed. I was a junkyard dog- born of
bad blood, and turned mean by design- and he was the only one who took
the time to give me a pat on the head, and a fresh bowl of water from
time to time. His kindness gave me the knowledge and desire needed to
live a human life. I fall short of that kindness in many, many ways,
but I will never cease in my desire to improve myself because of the
faith he had in me. If it was not for the safe haven he provided me
as a child, I would not be alive today, and I cannot thank him enough
for that.
Few people on alive today deserve the kind of praise that this man did
(and does) and I wanted to share it with as many people as possible.
Since this is the only internet forum I regularly visit, this is my
only outlet- and it is a testiment to the regulars on this group that
I feel that you are intelligent and caring enough to understand the
importance of such a memorial.
Thank you for your time, even when the post is entirely off-topic.
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam
Patrick Conroy wrote in message <[email protected]> on
Friday 29 April 2005 02:30 pm:
> Prometheus <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>
>> Michael Everitt Durch was the best man I have ever known.
>
> [ Let's keep quoting this one so it's inscribed in Usenet, forever! ]
>
>
> God pulls plenty of Good Ones home early.
> I'm not sure why.
>
Really? Satan rules the earth. See 1 John 1:19
From the beginning, Gods intention was that mankind should live forever on a
paradise earth. That intention remains unaltered. When you get a moment,
look up Revelations 21:4.
My wife just buried her grandmother. While that is a serious situation for
us, it isn't the end of the world. We are confident that we will be seeing
Grandma Jennie again. She was a wonderful old gal. I'm looking forward to
chatting with her again ... and this time talking her out of a jar of her
pear preserves. :-)
It sounds like M. E. Durch was quite a guy. I look forward to meeting him,
too. The big obstacle to that is making certain that I am present in that
future. It sounds like he exited holding a ticket.
Bill
On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 08:12:44 -0500, Prometheus <[email protected]> wrote:
>On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 16:48:39 GMT, "Vic Baron" <[email protected]>
>wrote:
>
>>Prometheus -
>>
>>It's ok to grieve. You obviously loved this man deeply. But the grief is for
>>your loss. Now you can celebrate his life. Give to someone else what he gave
>>to you.
>>
>>FWIW, what you have posted here says to me that you are certainly no longer
>>that 'junkyard dog' - you are a caring human being - a tribute to your
>>friend and credit to yourself.
>>
>>My very best wishes -
>>
>>Vic
>
>
>Thank you all. It's been a rough weekend, and I appreciate your
>taking the time to notice the man.
>
I've lost a son, both parents, and several good friends... what keeps me going
is the belief that they're still here if they're alive in my memory, both the
good and bad times..
mac
Please remove splinters before emailing
Folks like that have a tendency to live on in the people
whose lives they touched. Far better to leave behind
good memories and good values than money or stuff.
Obviously a good bit of who you are demonstrates this
view of things.
We're here to do something and normally move on.
Then there are those special people who got their
job done early but stick around to show the rest
of us how it can be done. By their deeds so shall you
know them. These people are fairly rare. Being
blessed with having encountered one is something
to be thankful for - which you obviously are.
So some of him lives on in you. Pass it along when
you can and don't grieve the loss of the man, but
rather celebrate his life. Though I'm sure it will
embarass him a little, i suspect it will also make
him smile.
charlie b
Thank you for proving once again, that there is hope for those in trouble if
we would only that the time and make the emotional investment in them.
Now it's your turn.
Dave
"Prometheus" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Greetings,
>
> I know the chances of any of you knowing this man are slim to none,
> but he deserves the any memorial that man can provide, and I would be
> remiss in my human obligations not to speak his name.
>
> Michael Everitt Durch was the best man I have ever known. He may not
> have been a woodworker, but he was a devoted family man and one of the
> most decent and upright human beings I have ever had the pleasure of
> knowing. He died on April 27th, 2005ev at the age of 52 of systemic
> cancer, and left behind a son and a daughter by blood, and several
> sons in spirit, of which I can only hope to number myself one. In the
> fourteen years in which I knew him, he was more a father to me than my
> biological father ever has been. He was there when ever I needed him,
> providing all the support- both emotional and material- that my father
> could not or would not provide. While we differed in many opinions,
> many spiritual, he never waivered in his unceasing devotion and
> attention to either my well-being, or the well-being of any person in
> his wide circle of friends and relations.
>
> When I needed him, he was there- even when no one, not even myself,
> thought I was worth the air I breathed. I was a junkyard dog- born of
> bad blood, and turned mean by design- and he was the only one who took
> the time to give me a pat on the head, and a fresh bowl of water from
> time to time. His kindness gave me the knowledge and desire needed to
> live a human life. I fall short of that kindness in many, many ways,
> but I will never cease in my desire to improve myself because of the
> faith he had in me. If it was not for the safe haven he provided me
> as a child, I would not be alive today, and I cannot thank him enough
> for that.
>
> Few people on alive today deserve the kind of praise that this man did
> (and does) and I wanted to share it with as many people as possible.
> Since this is the only internet forum I regularly visit, this is my
> only outlet- and it is a testiment to the regulars on this group that
> I feel that you are intelligent and caring enough to understand the
> importance of such a memorial.
>
> Thank you for your time, even when the post is entirely off-topic.
>
>
> Aut inveniam viam aut faciam
Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
----------------------------------------------------------
** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY **
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.usenet.com
Lobby Dosser wrote:
>
> Prometheus <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > But I still can't figure out why such good people
> > want anything to do with the likes of me
>
> Because they saw something you could not see. They saw the man who posted
> the eulogy this morning for his friend and father. They saw who you could
> be, not who you were. They saw you touching other lives just as Michael
> did.
Or, in some cases, they simply had faith, not clairvoyance...
On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 04:44:57 -0500, the inscrutable Prometheus
<[email protected]> spake:
>Greetings,
>
>I know the chances of any of you knowing this man are slim to none,
>but he deserves the any memorial that man can provide, and I would be
>remiss in my human obligations not to speak his name.
Well spoken. Bravo. RIP, Michael.
>Michael Everitt Durch was the best man I have ever known. He may not
>have been a woodworker, but he was a devoted family man and one of the
>most decent and upright human beings I have ever had the pleasure of
>knowing. He died on April 27th, 2005ev at the age of 52 of systemic
>cancer, and left behind a son and a daughter by blood, and several
>sons in spirit, of which I can only hope to number myself one. In the
>fourteen years in which I knew him, he was more a father to me than my
>biological father ever has been. He was there when ever I needed him,
>providing all the support- both emotional and material- that my father
>could not or would not provide. While we differed in many opinions,
>many spiritual, he never waivered in his unceasing devotion and
>attention to either my well-being, or the well-being of any person in
>his wide circle of friends and relations.
>
>When I needed him, he was there- even when no one, not even myself,
>thought I was worth the air I breathed. I was a junkyard dog- born of
>bad blood, and turned mean by design- and he was the only one who took
>the time to give me a pat on the head, and a fresh bowl of water from
>time to time. His kindness gave me the knowledge and desire needed to
>live a human life. I fall short of that kindness in many, many ways,
>but I will never cease in my desire to improve myself because of the
>faith he had in me. If it was not for the safe haven he provided me
>as a child, I would not be alive today, and I cannot thank him enough
>for that.
>
>Few people on alive today deserve the kind of praise that this man did
>(and does) and I wanted to share it with as many people as possible.
>Since this is the only internet forum I regularly visit, this is my
>only outlet- and it is a testiment to the regulars on this group that
>I feel that you are intelligent and caring enough to understand the
>importance of such a memorial.
>
>Thank you for your time, even when the post is entirely off-topic.
>
>
>Aut inveniam viam aut faciam
--== May The Angst Be With You! ==--
-Yoda, on a bad day
--
http://diversify.com Ending Your Web Page Angst.
Prometheus <[email protected]> wrote:
> But I still can't figure out why such good people
> want anything to do with the likes of me
Because they saw something you could not see. They saw the man who posted
the eulogy this morning for his friend and father. They saw who you could
be, not who you were. They saw you touching other lives just as Michael
did.
LD
"Prometheus" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> Few people alive today deserve the kind of praise that this man did
> (and does) and I wanted to share it with as many people as possible.
> Since this is the only internet forum I regularly visit, this is my
> only outlet - and it is a testiment to the regulars on this group that
> I feel that you are intelligent and caring enough to understand the
> importance of such a memorial.
Condolences for your loss.
On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 16:48:39 GMT, "Vic Baron" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Prometheus -
>
>It's ok to grieve. You obviously loved this man deeply. But the grief is for
>your loss. Now you can celebrate his life. Give to someone else what he gave
>to you.
>
>FWIW, what you have posted here says to me that you are certainly no longer
>that 'junkyard dog' - you are a caring human being - a tribute to your
>friend and credit to yourself.
>
>My very best wishes -
>
>Vic
Thank you all. It's been a rough weekend, and I appreciate your
taking the time to notice the man.
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam
Prometheus...
It's a privilege to have such a person touch one's life -- and I offer both
condolences and congratulations. Condolences because he's no longer present
in the flesh; and congratulations because he was there for you when you
needed him most to show the way,
Charlie said it well. Mr. Durch will live on in the hearts of those he
touched -- and beyond if those people really learned the important lessons
he had to teach and pass them on.
--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto, Iowa USA
Prometheus -
It's ok to grieve. You obviously loved this man deeply. But the grief is for
your loss. Now you can celebrate his life. Give to someone else what he gave
to you.
FWIW, what you have posted here says to me that you are certainly no longer
that 'junkyard dog' - you are a caring human being - a tribute to your
friend and credit to yourself.
My very best wishes -
Vic
Prometheus says...
> Few people on alive today deserve the kind of praise that this man did
> (and does) and I wanted to share it with as many people as possible.
> Since this is the only internet forum I regularly visit, this is my
> only outlet- and it is a testiment to the regulars on this group that
> I feel that you are intelligent and caring enough to understand the
> importance of such a memorial.
>
> Thank you for your time, even when the post is entirely off-topic.
>
>
> Aut inveniam viam aut faciam
Very nice, and very sad. A man like that should have lived to be 100.
I was very touched by you heartfelt eulogy, and feel your pain. Not having
parents that have nurtured you he must have been your guardian angel.. It is
many years since my own parent passed away ,but of late I have been involved
in some family history and every time their name comes up I feel the tears
welling up only to realize how lucky I have been . My only suggestion other
than time will somewhat heal the sorrow,is to do to others as Michael did to
you .There is a deep satisfaction in that which he no doubt felt.
... mjh
"TeamCasa" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Thank you for proving once again, that there is hope for those in trouble
if
> we would only that the time and make the emotional investment in them.
>
> Now it's your turn.
>
> Dave
>
>
> "Prometheus" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Greetings,
> >
> > I know the chances of any of you knowing this man are slim to none,
> > but he deserves the any memorial that man can provide, and I would be
> > remiss in my human obligations not to speak his name.
> >
> > Michael Everitt Durch was the best man I have ever known. He may not
> > have been a woodworker, but he was a devoted family man and one of the
> > most decent and upright human beings I have ever had the pleasure of
> > knowing. He died on April 27th, 2005ev at the age of 52 of systemic
> > cancer, and left behind a son and a daughter by blood, and several
> > sons in spirit, of which I can only hope to number myself one. In the
> > fourteen years in which I knew him, he was more a father to me than my
> > biological father ever has been. He was there when ever I needed him,
> > providing all the support- both emotional and material- that my father
> > could not or would not provide. While we differed in many opinions,
> > many spiritual, he never waivered in his unceasing devotion and
> > attention to either my well-being, or the well-being of any person in
> > his wide circle of friends and relations.
> >
> > When I needed him, he was there- even when no one, not even myself,
> > thought I was worth the air I breathed. I was a junkyard dog- born of
> > bad blood, and turned mean by design- and he was the only one who took
> > the time to give me a pat on the head, and a fresh bowl of water from
> > time to time. His kindness gave me the knowledge and desire needed to
> > live a human life. I fall short of that kindness in many, many ways,
> > but I will never cease in my desire to improve myself because of the
> > faith he had in me. If it was not for the safe haven he provided me
> > as a child, I would not be alive today, and I cannot thank him enough
> > for that.
> >
> > Few people on alive today deserve the kind of praise that this man did
> > (and does) and I wanted to share it with as many people as possible.
> > Since this is the only internet forum I regularly visit, this is my
> > only outlet- and it is a testiment to the regulars on this group that
> > I feel that you are intelligent and caring enough to understand the
> > importance of such a memorial.
> >
> > Thank you for your time, even when the post is entirely off-topic.
> >
> >
> > Aut inveniam viam aut faciam
>
>
>
> Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> ** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY **
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> http://www.usenet.com
Than God that you recognized this man and had him to guide you.
"Prometheus" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Greetings,
>
> I know the chances of any of you knowing this man are slim to none,
> but he deserves the any memorial that man can provide, and I would be
> remiss in my human obligations not to speak his name.
>
> Michael Everitt Durch was the best man I have ever known. He may not
> have been a woodworker, but he was a devoted family man and one of the
> most decent and upright human beings I have ever had the pleasure of
> knowing. He died on April 27th, 2005ev at the age of 52 of systemic
> cancer, and left behind a son and a daughter by blood, and several
> sons in spirit, of which I can only hope to number myself one. In the
> fourteen years in which I knew him, he was more a father to me than my
> biological father ever has been. He was there when ever I needed him,
> providing all the support- both emotional and material- that my father
> could not or would not provide. While we differed in many opinions,
> many spiritual, he never waivered in his unceasing devotion and
> attention to either my well-being, or the well-being of any person in
> his wide circle of friends and relations.
>
> When I needed him, he was there- even when no one, not even myself,
> thought I was worth the air I breathed. I was a junkyard dog- born of
> bad blood, and turned mean by design- and he was the only one who took
> the time to give me a pat on the head, and a fresh bowl of water from
> time to time. His kindness gave me the knowledge and desire needed to
> live a human life. I fall short of that kindness in many, many ways,
> but I will never cease in my desire to improve myself because of the
> faith he had in me. If it was not for the safe haven he provided me
> as a child, I would not be alive today, and I cannot thank him enough
> for that.
>
> Few people on alive today deserve the kind of praise that this man did
> (and does) and I wanted to share it with as many people as possible.
> Since this is the only internet forum I regularly visit, this is my
> only outlet- and it is a testiment to the regulars on this group that
> I feel that you are intelligent and caring enough to understand the
> importance of such a memorial.
>
> Thank you for your time, even when the post is entirely off-topic.
>
>
> Aut inveniam viam aut faciam
In article <[email protected]>,
Prometheus <[email protected]> wrote:
Wow. Very well said. I think he was lucky to have you around as well.
You can carry on with his magic touch and change a few lives yourself as
you have been given a fine example to go by.
I feel for your loss, but can't help smiling.
I know you understand.
Rob.
On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 03:46:45 -0700, charlie b <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Folks like that have a tendency to live on in the people
>whose lives they touched. Far better to leave behind
>good memories and good values than money or stuff.
>Obviously a good bit of who you are demonstrates this
>view of things.
>
>We're here to do something and normally move on.
>Then there are those special people who got their
>job done early but stick around to show the rest
>of us how it can be done. By their deeds so shall you
>know them. These people are fairly rare. Being
>blessed with having encountered one is something
>to be thankful for - which you obviously are.
>
>So some of him lives on in you. Pass it along when
>you can and don't grieve the loss of the man, but
>rather celebrate his life. Though I'm sure it will
>embarass him a little, i suspect it will also make
>him smile.
Thank you, Charlie, but it's somewhat impossible to not feel grief.
I've lost five people whom I thought were close to me, including my
own grandmother, in the last six months, and I thought I knew what
grief was. But in this case, I cannot even speak of it- I can only
write about it. I've never felt blackness washing over me like the
tide before, and I hope to never feel it again. I've come to terms
with it enough to swear to do my utmost never to let him down, but it
still feels like a punch in the stomach. Even though the fella that
donated sperm to bring me here is still around, I still lost my father
a couple of days ago, and that is bound to hurt. I'm going to carry
his casket in a few hours, and I don't know that I can face it, though
I know I have to. The thing that makes it even harder is that I met
him through my friendship with his son- and over time, *that*
friendship faded, but my relationship with his father never did. Now,
to spare the son's feelings in *his* worst moment, I feel like I have
to try to hold some of that back, but I've never had been a situation
where I could not speak, and it's hard to pretend that nothing truly
signifigant has happened when you feel like the subject of a Greek
tragedy. It's damn embarrasing to feel more grief than the man's only
son *appears* to feel. I still remember the times when we were young,
and I felt the white-hot anger that sat in pit of my soul when his boy
yelled at him over something banal and stupid, and I could only sit
there in silence and wish that that young man could know what it was
to be alternately beaten and ignored by his father, rather than being
accepted with the loving tolerance that he was given. I suppose
that's life, and I'll get over it eventually, but it's just damn hard
right now.
My apologies to the folks who may have seen me post to other threads
tonight and might think I'm heartless, but if I don't break my chain
of thought about this periodically, I'll never make it. Same reason I
spent hours in the shop after the wake until the wife went to bed- and
then I came here. Right now, silence is my enemy.
What the hell- just for the sake of keeping myself writing and not
retching, and to tie into the woodworking theme- last Christmas I made
the guy a pair of Mahogany candlesticks on my lathe. Normally, it was
a project I could've knocked out in an hour or two- but in this case,
I finished- then resanded- and then refinished- the things at least 20
times. They ended up sanded to 2000 grit, with captured rings on the
bases and six coats of polished shellac, with oil soaked so deeply
into the wood that I can reasonably imagine that it reached the core.
Beautiful work- far beyond anything I've done before or since. At the
wake earlier today, his wife said they will occupy a place of honor in
their home forever. But I still can't figure out why such good people
want anything to do with the likes of me- they may have been the best
*I* could do, but they still were not good enough for them.
Sometimes I wish I had the power of a god when it comes to material
reality, but the power of man is all I have in my hands. It doesn't
*feel* like any level of dedication or care can match the power of
imagination or devotion. Normally, that is okay- but sometimes, it
leaves me severely wanting. My wife tells me that that splinter that
raises at the penultimate moment is the thing that gives a piece it's
soul, but somehow that is still hard to accept. Sometimes the best in
man can never be good enough to make an ideal flesh. I'd be willing
to bet that a lot of this is old news to some of you older guys, but
I'm still a youngster, and a lot of it is new to me.
Sorry again to take up so much of your time.
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam
On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 00:29:52 -0400, "Bill C." <[email protected]> wrote:
>Patrick Conroy wrote in message <[email protected]> on
>Friday 29 April 2005 02:30 pm:
>
>> Prometheus <[email protected]> wrote in
>> news:[email protected]:
>>
>>
>>> Michael Everitt Durch was the best man I have ever known.
>>
>> [ Let's keep quoting this one so it's inscribed in Usenet, forever! ]
>>
>>
>> God pulls plenty of Good Ones home early.
>> I'm not sure why.
>>
>
>Really? Satan rules the earth. See 1 John 1:19
>
>From the beginning, Gods intention was that mankind should live forever on a
>paradise earth. That intention remains unaltered. When you get a moment,
>look up Revelations 21:4.
>
>My wife just buried her grandmother. While that is a serious situation for
>us, it isn't the end of the world. We are confident that we will be seeing
>Grandma Jennie again. She was a wonderful old gal. I'm looking forward to
>chatting with her again ... and this time talking her out of a jar of her
>pear preserves. :-)
>
>It sounds like M. E. Durch was quite a guy. I look forward to meeting him,
>too. The big obstacle to that is making certain that I am present in that
>future. It sounds like he exited holding a ticket.
>
>Bill
Sure hope so; from Prometheus' description he was definitely living his
faith.
Prometheus, so sorry to hear of your loss. This man sounds like he was
the right person put into your life at the right time.
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
A wheelbarrow! Why didn't you say we had a wheelbarrow; you should
have included that in our list of assets!
Westley -- Princess Bride
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Prometheus <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> Michael Everitt Durch was the best man I have ever known.
[ Let's keep quoting this one so it's inscribed in Usenet, forever! ]
God pulls plenty of Good Ones home early.
I'm not sure why.
Keep the circle going.
Find a Junkyard Dog of your own to adopt maybe?