My buddy died today. I am sure to follow Jay just as he followed others of his own family and friends. As sad as it is to lose a dear one, we accept the will of God knowing that something glorious is promised us when we step across that threshold into the world of the real "Golden Years" of eternal life...no more pain, no more wars, no more this and no more that. Forget the struggles we lived through as mortals on Earth, just take along the good things worth remembering.

My buddy died today. At least I was able to visit with him a few days ago for the final time, as it turned out, to hold his once-strong hand and tell him how much I enjoyed his friendship over a span of 50 years. I thanked God for that luxury of saying kind and meaningful words to Jay while he could hear them and not wait for me to say them as he lay silent in his grave. I hoped others seized that same opportunity to do the same so this man who loved and lived life to the fullest could prove to God that he is not entering an eternal void...he is leaving one behind that cannot be filled.

My buddy died today. During my visit with Jay I looked at his thin, limp form and thought to myself, "It had taken a mere microscopic germ to do what no mortal could do...put him on his back and take away his strength. But, knowing life in us all comes to an end under one circumstance or another, I contented myself in the fact that Jay fought tooth and nail for three years against the odds. Life meant more to him than to succumb to something he could not see.

My buddy died today. His obituary called him "Cocky". Nicknames are great, but how do we acquire them? Mine was "Chickencoop", but that one is not hard to figure out. Jay's brother Clair was "Barker" and his brother Eugene was "Horsey". But "Cocky"? I never knew Jay to be cocky. The famous Davy Crockett once said, "Be always sure, then go ahead." Jay followed that kind of philosophy but he was never cocky in an egotistical sort of way. I discussed this with Jay's son, "Skip" (Jay R.), and learned that the nickname supposedly surfaced in his dad's earlier years when his buddies noticed that his head was slightly "cocked" to one side. So that generation will recall what I say with a smile...to think someone would care enough to mention it.

My buddy died today. Jay and I became more closely associated in later years through our prowess as lovers of history, especially the history of the towns in which with lived and worked. Our mutual friend and historian of our beloved Morris Canal, Jim Lee, made up the threesome that we had become until life began to slow down a bit for each of us. Jay and Jimmy were inseparable pals when Jim made numerous trips on the lecture-circuit telling people about the Canal. I was not afforded the luxury to join with them on most of those trips but, on occasion, we had fun and met a lot of fine people when I was able to to go with them. However, the three of us normally attended our local historical society meetings and had much fun along the way. Now, the shadows are getting a little deeper and we look harder for the enthusiasm and fun we once knew. As had been said, "The mind is willing but the body is weak."

My buddy died today. Remembering Jay in a memorial sense is going to take some doing. It's difficult to think of him as a memory when the mind has not yet accepted the fact that he is no longer with us. Meanwhile, I shall remember the nice things he did for me, what we did together and what he did for others.

My buddy died today...AMEN!

Peace...

"Ronnie"
Ronald W. Wynkoop, Sr.
Phillipsburg, N.J.