Remembering Shane

Tomorrow will be a year since my friend Shane from high school was killed in a snow mobile accident in Colorado. We had lost touch after my freshman year of college, but connected randomly over the years at various parties and social events.

Shane's death was the kind of tragedy that can rock an entire community. He was the type of person that people are drawn to. He had a magnetic smile and way with people that made everyone feel special and unique. He is the type of guy that would have been forever young. He was 31 when he died. He was a raging bachelor and had left many sad ladies in his path. He lived life to the absolute fullest, no regrets.

This is a stack of letters that he had kept over the years. I wrote these all to him in high school during class, or in my freshman year of college when I went away. His Mom sent them to me after he died. I definitely had a crush on this guy, but so did every other lady that he crossed paths with. His charm was undeniable. As I got older I could clearly see he wasn't more than a high school crush, but his charisma, his love of life, and his way of making people smile is something for us all to remember. Shane was a very special brother to two other girls, he was a son to a loving mother and father, he was an artist, an optimist, an adventurer and a heartbreaker. I feel fortunate to have had the times I had with Shane, even if they were at 16 or 17 or 18, before real life. He just made people better. Big ups Shane.

For more about the life of this promising artist check here.