Hi.
Kidney failure ultimately took him down. He was not only my friend but my teacher as along with my mom I learned how to write from him. "Phrasology" was a termed he used for how best to word things. It comes from the film/musical "The Music Man".
He liked to use FTN whenever and wherever he thought it (in)appropriate, often it was when something very serious was going on. He also cracked jokes about how he wanted to dress up as a "lawn jockey" for next Halloween and stand still in front of his home with a tub of candy in front of him. One of you guys gave him the inspiration for that and he loved it. It took such a long time for me to be approved here but I thought it was what he would have wanted to let you know he is gone.
There are more than a few folks here that he actually cared about. He would say his humor was born of being short, a "halfrican american" (his hilarious term for it) and a wit and intelligence that made up for his lack of height. He also thought he was quite handsome when he was young. He did not look good when I last saw him but that is the way of illness and although I was not there I am certain he died at peace with himself and the world.
