Skye
An old friend of mine passed away tragically on Sunday night. Skye and his wife Courtney were in a car accident and both of them, and their 8 month along, soon-to-be baby, were killed. A whole family, gone.
It had not occurred to me the impact that Skye had had on my life until it was too late, as is often the case. But I am usually so aware of loss, and of telling the people you love and care about just how special they are to me, and just how they have changed me -or at least I thought I was until Skye passed away. Now I will grieve for him, and for the lost words.
We first crossed paths with Skye in high school, he played basketball for Clearwater, perhaps we saw him at Provincials, I can't quite remember where, but I remember him so clearly. He was certainly a person who would have caught our eyes because he was such a handsome guy ("hot" would have been the word we would have used back then), but that was just the first impression, the second was from watching him play basketball, wow. He was such an amazing athlete, and we heard his name and crossed paths with him many times through high school and knew that we would probably continue to.
I spent 2 years playing college basketball at OUC in Kelowna, and our rival was always UCC, so I would continue to cross paths with Skye.
In my third year I opted for change, with the gentle push from a friend who happened to also play for UCC, and I transfered to UCC, where I would get to know Skye on many other levels. UCC had a great way of connecting all of their athletes back then, and they had an "athletes lounge," which now seems quite elitist to me, but was such a relief back then, because it gave me an instant "family." I can not remember having met a person in my life who was so quick to be friendly and welcoming of anyone - not just fellow athletes or classmates, but of anyone who crossed his path. That was my experience with Skye - his quick wit, the way he was so easy to smile and laugh and crack a joke, how he made everyone he met his friend, and I certainly felt like just that.
What I also remember in my days of hanging around that gym was so consistently seeing Skye, with this beautiful redheaded girl, sneaking behind the bleachers in the gym to kiss. They were so in love, at such a young age, that I remember so clearly wishing that I had what they had.
I did not always enjoy bus trips with the men's team, but he was definitely a bridge between teams. He was friends with everyone. I remember when he sat with me for the first time on the bus, and I was so confused. That was never the way it had been at OUC - there, the women's team sat together, and the men's team sat together, and that was just the way it was. I had a boyfriend on the team at OUC, and we didn't even usually sit together! So it threw me for a loop when Skye walked up the aisle from the back and sat with me. I was new to the team, to the school, and to Kamloops, and I think he honestly just sat with me to get to know me, just because. How can you not adore a person like that? He made people feel so comfortable, so welcome, so a part of the group.
I also remember how proud he was when someone would sniff some unpleasant smell and yell, "SKYE!" and he would so proudly confess that it was him. He was who he was, and he wasn't ashamed of any part of it!
I was lucky enough to have a few classes with Skye, one of them being Geology, with a lab. The Geology I liked - but the lab, I am sure I would not have passed without Skye as my partner. He got me through that class! I remember at the table next to ours there were two girls - who were the picture of silly girls with a crush on a boy. I know he had a great sense of humor, but every time he spoke, they laughed and laughed like it was the funniest thing he had ever heard, but he was so modest and down to earth about it, as though he didn't even notice.
I will always regret not having said these words, and I will always regret the way that his life ended. I am so forever grateful to have had the chance to know Skye, and to be his friend. I wish nothing but peace for Skye, Courtney, and their sweet baby.
It had not occurred to me the impact that Skye had had on my life until it was too late, as is often the case. But I am usually so aware of loss, and of telling the people you love and care about just how special they are to me, and just how they have changed me -or at least I thought I was until Skye passed away. Now I will grieve for him, and for the lost words.
We first crossed paths with Skye in high school, he played basketball for Clearwater, perhaps we saw him at Provincials, I can't quite remember where, but I remember him so clearly. He was certainly a person who would have caught our eyes because he was such a handsome guy ("hot" would have been the word we would have used back then), but that was just the first impression, the second was from watching him play basketball, wow. He was such an amazing athlete, and we heard his name and crossed paths with him many times through high school and knew that we would probably continue to.
I spent 2 years playing college basketball at OUC in Kelowna, and our rival was always UCC, so I would continue to cross paths with Skye.
In my third year I opted for change, with the gentle push from a friend who happened to also play for UCC, and I transfered to UCC, where I would get to know Skye on many other levels. UCC had a great way of connecting all of their athletes back then, and they had an "athletes lounge," which now seems quite elitist to me, but was such a relief back then, because it gave me an instant "family." I can not remember having met a person in my life who was so quick to be friendly and welcoming of anyone - not just fellow athletes or classmates, but of anyone who crossed his path. That was my experience with Skye - his quick wit, the way he was so easy to smile and laugh and crack a joke, how he made everyone he met his friend, and I certainly felt like just that.
What I also remember in my days of hanging around that gym was so consistently seeing Skye, with this beautiful redheaded girl, sneaking behind the bleachers in the gym to kiss. They were so in love, at such a young age, that I remember so clearly wishing that I had what they had.
I did not always enjoy bus trips with the men's team, but he was definitely a bridge between teams. He was friends with everyone. I remember when he sat with me for the first time on the bus, and I was so confused. That was never the way it had been at OUC - there, the women's team sat together, and the men's team sat together, and that was just the way it was. I had a boyfriend on the team at OUC, and we didn't even usually sit together! So it threw me for a loop when Skye walked up the aisle from the back and sat with me. I was new to the team, to the school, and to Kamloops, and I think he honestly just sat with me to get to know me, just because. How can you not adore a person like that? He made people feel so comfortable, so welcome, so a part of the group.
I also remember how proud he was when someone would sniff some unpleasant smell and yell, "SKYE!" and he would so proudly confess that it was him. He was who he was, and he wasn't ashamed of any part of it!
I was lucky enough to have a few classes with Skye, one of them being Geology, with a lab. The Geology I liked - but the lab, I am sure I would not have passed without Skye as my partner. He got me through that class! I remember at the table next to ours there were two girls - who were the picture of silly girls with a crush on a boy. I know he had a great sense of humor, but every time he spoke, they laughed and laughed like it was the funniest thing he had ever heard, but he was so modest and down to earth about it, as though he didn't even notice.
I will always regret not having said these words, and I will always regret the way that his life ended. I am so forever grateful to have had the chance to know Skye, and to be his friend. I wish nothing but peace for Skye, Courtney, and their sweet baby.
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