PigDog - Jedi Master

It is never easy to say goodbye. Especially not to the ones that you love and care for and I find that I am having a very hard time saying goodbye to my friend PigDog. Feb. 8th Pig passed away. A couple of days later, we laid him to rest.

If you didn’t know PigDog you missed out. He was a huge man with a huge personality. Pig didn’t move, the world moved around Pig. He could be intimidating if you didn’t know him and sometimes if you did. For the most part he was just this big guy with a big heart that was an excellent friend.

There were two shining lights in Pig’s universe, Kathy and Jake. The first time I met Pig and Kathy I wondered to myself what ever in the world could have brought these two people together. Kathy looked diminutive next to Pigs 6’5” frame. Kathy is quite, Pig was not….ever. He was completely crazy about her. He loved her with everything he had. Those that knew Pig before I did, say that Kathy tamed the beast. That is probably true from the stories that I have heard. Pig lead a “Colorful” life prior to meeting Kathy. Do not get me wrong. He still lead a colorful life, its just that Kathy tempered Pig and it was a good thing. Kathy truly tamed the beast but Jake defined the man.

I remember telling Pig how much it changed me when I became a father. He had some verbal abuse for me because Wife 1.0 and I were the last of his married friends to have children and now he had no excuse to use when Kathy talked kids. I remember telling Pig that when Son 1.0 was born that something changed inside of me. Something wonderful and indescribable and that if he ever did have a child he would understand instantly. This was over poker and a few drinks and I took some crap from the guys at the table but none of them disagreed.

It was close to a year later, Kathy and Pig were expecting and I got a call one morning. Saturday or Sunday, does not matter which. It was early and the person on the other end of the phone said, “You were right.”, and hung up the phone. My wife asked who it was and I told her I thought it was Pig and what he had said. Then it dawned on me. They had the baby. Jake was born and Pig became more. It is the only way I know how to describe it. To understand Jake and Pig, you need to read it from Pig. PigDog's Planet Some of these are priceless, and if you shed a tear for a little boy that lost his daddy, well, you are in good company. Be sure to read the Jedi story. It will explain why I refer to Pig as a Master Jedi and shows just how much love and understand a three year old boy really has.

So it is to the man that knew honor and love and friendship that I say goodbye too. It is to his memory that I raise my glass. It is to his son that I pledge to tell the stories of his father. It is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to a Jedi Master, and my friend.

Rest well my friend, you earned it.

Mo.