Just when I didn’t think 2020 could get any shittier an integral member of my immediate family was whisked away to  whatever awaits in eternity.     This is a picture of my mom, me and my two siblings.  Normally you would assume my mother,  the grand lady seated here who looks 80 but is actually 101 is the person I am talking about,  (This pic was taken last year during her 100th birthday celebration).  But facing unpleasant surprise seems to be all that is normal right now.  The person traveling to meet his maker is my brother Nick (seated) who was 7 years younger than I.  He died while walking his two dogs near his home in Denver, totally unexpectedly, of a massive heart attack.

I know Nick’s family- wife Mary and children Gabe and Kaitlyn- have to feel extremely gratified that even under difficult circumstances their efforts to provide Nick with a proper farewell were well rewarded.  About that.  I was 7 years older than Nick so we essentially went our seperate ways growing up.  But circumstances later in life required coordinated trips to take care of our mother in Utah, and we became pretty close friends.   There were many speakers during the service who contributed stories about Nick’s incredible life that regrettably I could not converse with later because  my wife and I had to get back to Omaha immediately.  If there ever is a time when we meet again trust that I would love to hear expanded versions of your experiences with Nick.  The uniform impression left by every speaker at his funeral service was Nick was the guy you absoulty treasured as a neighbor because just ask and he would drop everything and head over to your house to fix something you screwed up.   It is so edifying to have others fill in the blanks of any life well lived.

Nick Miltner 1955-2020