Goodbye Corky

Dear Corky, I still can't believe that you are gone. I've known about your passing for about 72 hours now, and I am not sure it has really hit me yet. All day yesterday I thought about the irony of us burying you on Easter Sunday. Although we put you in the ground yesterday, you will rise again because He already has. And I can't wait to see you on that day! I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you will be smiling, cause you smiled most all the time.

You were a good friend. I will always remember how each time you laughed, you also ALWAYS had to wipe tears out of your eyes. And you wiped tears a LOT......... because we laughed a lot, didn't we? I remember how as a Senior you got into reading "The Dove"......the book Mrs. McGuire assigned us to read. Here was Mr. Jock, Mr. Cool, Mr. Ladies Man with his nose stuck in a book every free minute he had. It made it cool for the rest of us to enjoy it too! :) We didn't even know at the time that you were dyslexic, therefore having to put a lot more effort into that assignment and any other assignment that required reading.....more than the rest of us had to. I'm sorry we didn't know that. I remember when we were Juniors several of us would go over to the Annapolis Avenue church and do tutoring for children who needed extra help. I thought you had a special bond with the kids, and now I know why. You had been there and done that. I also remember how you wanted all of us to be in the Senior play......."Cheaper by the Dozen". You weren't too cool to be involved in the Arts. And I know why............cause the world was your oyster. If somebody thought you were a nerd for being in the Senior play, you didn't care. You knew you were Corky Berry. Rain on em. I remember the special relationship you had with your mom. You both had a gleem in your eye when you talked to each other, and the love was so strong you could almost touch it. She still had that gleem in her eye yesterday as she stood beside you.

I haven't even talked about your talents as an athlete...........I could go on for hours on that subject. Other guys probably put more effort into sports, but that is usually the curse for guys like you who have so much talent. To this day, I have NEVER EVER seen ANYBODY...........professional or college or high school................shoot a jump shot with the grace and ease that you did. It was like watching a ballet on Broadway. They should have made an instructional video of you shooting a jump shot to use for all generations to come. It was so pretty that it should have been Raquel Welch or some starlet shooting it. No telling how many points a game you would have averaged if the 3 point line had been in effect. It was effortless for you, because again............the world was your oyster. It's an honor just to have been your team-mate.

I know you had your demons. I wonder how many times you felt alone in your battles, and that tears my heart out. Because you weren't alone.

I'll miss you.

I loved you,
Dave