As you all know, this year I turned 60. 

Intellectually I know it's just another number or another year and there is no real significance to turning 60.

But for me it has been a chance to reflect and look back on a life lived so far and create a score card of sorts. 

 Accomplishments, bucket lists, regrets, blessings.

I have given much thought to my life so far over the past few months.  

Much has made me smile, a few tears have flowed as well.

Today I want to talk about the greatest blessing I have. 

The one true blessing that all other blessings radiate from. 

That blessing said “I do” 40 years ago and changed my life forever. 

As a young man at the time, I just thought I was getting a sexy, kind, and patient wife. 

Little did I know how much she would fundamentally change who I was and change it for the better.

Now those words are easy to say and many do, but trust me when I tell you, for me this was oh so true. 

She brought light into a negative young man who looked at the world as just another battle waiting to fight.

She brought love and kindness into my life at a level I had never seen or felt before. 

She gave me more patience and grace than I deserved.

She sacrificed more than anyone will ever know to make our life together strong.

She allowed me to get “through” who I was, so I could become the man and husband she deserves. (still working on that one)

She helps, supports and is a friend to anyone who needs it.

She is the best wife, mother, mother-in-law, friend, daughter, and grandmother she can possibly be and she works hard each day to try to be just a little better.

So, when I look back on my life there is one true turning point, one true blessing that has enriched and made my life the wonderful journey it has been.

That Blessing has a Birthday today and turns 59! 

I think she looks pretty damn good for 59!!   Don’t you!?!?

So, if you run into this sweet lady, please take a moment and wish her a Happy Birthday.

She makes the world that touches her just a little better every day!

Love you Lisa and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Goodbye my friend.

 

Goodbye my friend.

I met Gary decades ago when I started Tournament Bass fishing here I Maine. 

He was a friendly guy who always met you with a smile and a handshake. 

I soon learned he had a level of skill that I would admire and strive to emulate. 

Although I will never achieve his level of success, his ability to catch bass combined with sportsmanship and sense of fair play is something I will always strive to attain.

Although a fierce competitor on the water and every time he entered a tournament he intended to win, he never lost his desire to teach or share info to those he respected. 

I remember one morning before a State Tournament on Cobb I stopped by Gary’s boat to say hello. He asked me if I was ready for the day.  I exclaimed with great angst that my practice had really struggled, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. .

After a moment of silence, he looked up from his rod that he was fiddling with and with a low tone and a smile he quietly said.” Well, if I were you, I wouldn’t bother fishing rocks in 6 to 8 feet of water” . He then looked back down at the lure he was fiddling with and changed the subject. 

His tip was, of course, right on target and I made the state team that year as an alternate.

He loved fishing and he enjoyed growing that love for fishing in others.

Gary was a fiercely loyal man when it came to his family and his country.

He would often call his beloved wife Sheri “His Queen” and you knew he meant it. His love for Sheri and his family was clear and well known to all that spent any time around Gary.

Will some remember Gary as being abrasive at times?? Yes, some will.  

Gary’s incredible loyalty and passion for family and country and a high level of confidence in that value structure, put him at odds with some in our society that he deemed a threat, a threat to the way of life he not only valued, but he also served to protect.

If you were on the opposite side of an issue with Gary, you knew it. 

He would clearly and concisely let you know how he felt and why he felt you were wrong in your thinking. 

I guess his strong convictions, combined with his military training and confident personality gave him the tools to address many of the issues head on that we all face today.

But please don’t get me wrong. Gary was a TRULY kind and considerate man in all aspects of his life.

Lisa and I camp at the same campground as Sheri and Gary and they would often drive by on their golf cart, if the day required a visit with us Gary would start onto the lot with the golf cart, stop the cart and ask ,”mind if we stop for a quick visit ?”   I remember 

Lisa commented on how “polite and old school “it was for him to ask.

Gary was a complex mix of traits. He was one of the friendliest and kindest men you would ever know if you were lucky enough to have him call you friend. 

He was also a fierce warrior, not afraid to take on anything or anyone who threatened his way of life, his family, or his country.

The world needs more men like Gary LeRoy but sadly yesterday 

August 6, 2024, we lost the one we had.

Gary, you will be missed by so many, we will share stories about you around boat ramps and weigh in sites for years to come, but one thing is for sure, you will never be forgotten!

 For those of us fortunate enough to have known Gary L LeRoy, we will honor your memory with rod and reel in hand .

Tight lines my friend!