I just lost my best friend from high school.
I met Alan "Toe" Jones when I first moved from Claremore to my now hometown in 1979. I was 11 years old as was he. Throughout our years at Moss Public School, we had some lively times. Played ball together, double dated, got into fist fights and always shook hands afterwards. We made some powerful memories and stories for days. I still hear them whenever I bump into my former high school principal. He loved us and our antics even though he wanted to strangle us 30+ years ago.
After graduation, Toe never moved away and neither did I. Well...he did go to college at OSU and met a girl and I did move to Eufaula with my wife and oldest daughter for a brief stint (about 4 years or so) and had another baby girl, but the evil magnet of Holdenville brought us back home.
We kept in touch, more or less, over the years...you know...bumping into each other in Walmart, the grocery store and such. He married and divorced, had two sons - Wyatt and Matthew - and never married again. I asked him once why he didn't have a girlfriend and his response was, "do you know how hard it is to find a woman in her 40's that isn't covered in tattoos?"
He was a purist like that. He thought that only sailors and convicts had tattoos.
Sadly, my buddy died today from complications from a liver transplant. He had a non-alcoholic version of cirrhosis of the liver (never drank a drop of alcohol his entire life - go figure?) and I'm taking it kinda hard.
Anyway. I just need some help saying good bye to my very best good friend.
RIP Toe. I'll see you on the other side.
I met Alan "Toe" Jones when I first moved from Claremore to my now hometown in 1979. I was 11 years old as was he. Throughout our years at Moss Public School, we had some lively times. Played ball together, double dated, got into fist fights and always shook hands afterwards. We made some powerful memories and stories for days. I still hear them whenever I bump into my former high school principal. He loved us and our antics even though he wanted to strangle us 30+ years ago.
After graduation, Toe never moved away and neither did I. Well...he did go to college at OSU and met a girl and I did move to Eufaula with my wife and oldest daughter for a brief stint (about 4 years or so) and had another baby girl, but the evil magnet of Holdenville brought us back home.
We kept in touch, more or less, over the years...you know...bumping into each other in Walmart, the grocery store and such. He married and divorced, had two sons - Wyatt and Matthew - and never married again. I asked him once why he didn't have a girlfriend and his response was, "do you know how hard it is to find a woman in her 40's that isn't covered in tattoos?"
He was a purist like that. He thought that only sailors and convicts had tattoos.
Sadly, my buddy died today from complications from a liver transplant. He had a non-alcoholic version of cirrhosis of the liver (never drank a drop of alcohol his entire life - go figure?) and I'm taking it kinda hard.
Anyway. I just need some help saying good bye to my very best good friend.
RIP Toe. I'll see you on the other side.
