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I was told that I should post this here, these are the words I spoke for a man that was nearer to me than anybody else on this world:
No shit there I was, a skinny little 20 year old fresh from air force tech school attending one of my first fighter practices, and then I met Gabe.
There is a lot to be said about Gabe, he was father, husband, and friend. He touched so many people throughout his life. I can't say for the impact on others, but he is an indelible force on my life. I first met Gabe in the summer of 2002 at my second or third SCA fighter practice, little did I know the journey that awaited for me with this remarkable man. In the past 11 years I've grown as a person, and he was the driving force behind that growth. He accepted me as family before I even knew what was going on. My first Christmas outside of my own home he brought me to his family's annual christmas gathering, without telling me. I was an awkward 20 year old thrown into an unfamiliar setting, but it didn't matter, I was family...I just wish I had known at the time.
Over the years, our friendship deepened and he became ingrained in my life. I would spend most my weekends with Gabe and Shannon. There were SCA events, movie nights, and just general hanging out. There would be pranks played on each other, sometimes they would involve minor electrocution, other times it would be tying a ribbon to the cat's tail, or just anything else we thought might amuse us. I tell you, you never forget the first time you see a cat pant. Along the way I made mistakes and he wasted no time in letting me know. That bruise lasted for a couple days longer than most my normal SCA ones did. He was there for me when I fell to pieces and helped to put me back together. When I got out of the Air Force he insisted that I stay with him, no really, there was no other option that was entertained. He helped me get back on my feet here in San Antonio. When he and Shannon fell on hard times I was there for them as much as I could be.
There are four kids here today that call me uncle, two of them I've known since before they can remember meeting me, and the other two I've known since before they were born. The youngest, I held on her first day of life as Gabe was doing all the things that needed to be done to make sure she had the best start possible. The next youngest I remember watching in amazement at the miracle that he is as he fought for the first two months of his life. Kiki, the fist child born to him has always been as full of life as he was. Anna is yet more proof as to the character of the man that we all love. She did not start life as his own flesh and blood but that didn't matter to him and he never treated her differently.
I don't know how to end this, for me there was never going to be an end. We had planned on riding off into the sunset together, and taking as much of the landscape as we could along with us. All I can do now is make up for his absence when that day comes for me.
No shit there I was, a skinny little 20 year old fresh from air force tech school attending one of my first fighter practices, and then I met Gabe.
There is a lot to be said about Gabe, he was father, husband, and friend. He touched so many people throughout his life. I can't say for the impact on others, but he is an indelible force on my life. I first met Gabe in the summer of 2002 at my second or third SCA fighter practice, little did I know the journey that awaited for me with this remarkable man. In the past 11 years I've grown as a person, and he was the driving force behind that growth. He accepted me as family before I even knew what was going on. My first Christmas outside of my own home he brought me to his family's annual christmas gathering, without telling me. I was an awkward 20 year old thrown into an unfamiliar setting, but it didn't matter, I was family...I just wish I had known at the time.
Over the years, our friendship deepened and he became ingrained in my life. I would spend most my weekends with Gabe and Shannon. There were SCA events, movie nights, and just general hanging out. There would be pranks played on each other, sometimes they would involve minor electrocution, other times it would be tying a ribbon to the cat's tail, or just anything else we thought might amuse us. I tell you, you never forget the first time you see a cat pant. Along the way I made mistakes and he wasted no time in letting me know. That bruise lasted for a couple days longer than most my normal SCA ones did. He was there for me when I fell to pieces and helped to put me back together. When I got out of the Air Force he insisted that I stay with him, no really, there was no other option that was entertained. He helped me get back on my feet here in San Antonio. When he and Shannon fell on hard times I was there for them as much as I could be.
There are four kids here today that call me uncle, two of them I've known since before they can remember meeting me, and the other two I've known since before they were born. The youngest, I held on her first day of life as Gabe was doing all the things that needed to be done to make sure she had the best start possible. The next youngest I remember watching in amazement at the miracle that he is as he fought for the first two months of his life. Kiki, the fist child born to him has always been as full of life as he was. Anna is yet more proof as to the character of the man that we all love. She did not start life as his own flesh and blood but that didn't matter to him and he never treated her differently.
I don't know how to end this, for me there was never going to be an end. We had planned on riding off into the sunset together, and taking as much of the landscape as we could along with us. All I can do now is make up for his absence when that day comes for me.
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