Robert Jeffrey Oliver

When my phone rang a few weeks ago and I saw it was Sara calling, I knew it had to be bad news about Bob. Everyone texts everything these days, a fact that I'm sure Bob would have something to say about. I think I learned the word "luddite" from him years ago. I knew that the past several years had been challenging for him, but I guess I was still taken by surprise by the news and saddened by it. He was one of my best friends during our high school and college years, and after, even though time and distance meant that we didn't see or talk to each other as often as we should have in later years. At any rate, although saddened by the news of his passing, I have spent the past few weeks since then thinking about him and remembering his impact on my life. Whether it was playing a made-up game like "hats" or dictionary with Sara, listening to him take control of the turntable for an episode of "bad DJ," listening to his spot-on commentary about events of the day, or even just hearing him discuss his dripping contempt for cheese, I knew we would always have a million laughs. I cherish those laughs and the fact that after all these years I still smile about the things he said and the things we all did together. I miss him. Alex, Jane, and Sara are in my thoughts.