It's Just a Thought

Rest In Peace, Don

Rest In Peace, Don

         A couple days ago, while reading through some recent emails and deleting many of them that were obviously outdated, I ran across one from a member of my high school class’s reunion committee. That, of course, got me to thinking about my 60th high school reunion coming up next year (2026).
         Then, my next thought was that I had never heard anything, even at past reunions, about one of my two best friends in high school, Donald Loheide.
         The last I’d heard about Don was from my other close high school friend, Dennis Atkinson, whose passing I’ve already noted with his own entry in this blog. Dennis had told me, years ago, that Don and his wife were living in Atlanta at that time. I’d known that Don was not the letter-writing type, which is why I usually kept tabs on him through Dennis. So, it was time for me to do my own digging. It didn’t take long.
         Don and I had known each other since elementary school, in Norwood, Ohio (1954-59). Don’s nickname for me through those early school years was “Boats”. Where he came up with that idea, I will never know. 😊 If he did tell me, I’ve long since forgotten it. (Interestingly enough, my later nickname, devised by a coworker on my first job in the computer industry, was “JAWS”, based on my initials. That one was out of necessity. Three of the five of us in our crew were named “Jim”, so we had to devise nicknames to tell us apart in conversations. Even our manager had to use them. 😊 That nickname stuck. 😊) Before starting 6th grade in 1960, my family moved to Anderson Township, a Cincinnati suburb, but Don and I always kept in touch.
         Just prior to our junior year, Don and his family moved to Anderson as well. For those last two years of high school, the three of us – Dennis, Don, and me, were practically in separable. And during our senior year, and after that, their trustworthy friendships would prove priceless to me on a personal level. But that’s another story, to be told in a book I’ve recently completed and hope to publish before year’s end.
         I hadn’t given a thought, once Dennis passed away, about how to catch up with Don. Then, a couple days ago, I ran across an old email from a member of our high school class’s reunion committee. As soon as I spotted it, I realized I’d never heard anything from, or about Don for the past few years. So, I did my own digging. It didn’t take long.
         A quick google search told me that he’d died in 2015, at the age of 66, but did not give a cause of death. I still need to find that out.
         Don, my friend, I hope your life was a wonderful and rewarding one. Thanks for all the great times you and I shared as youngsters in Norwood, like riding our bikes through the school driveways and playground areas on weekends. And, all the fun, laughter, and experiences you, Dennis and I shared for those last two years of high school, and for the wonderful friendship, and help you and Dennis so unselfishly gave me in the year that followed our graduation (June, 1966-February 1967), so that Linda and I could still have time together and keep our wonderfully deep love, and devotion to each other alive, through those painful months when my parents were so determined to keep us apart, till I was finally able to break free of their legal control over me that February, even though I was still under the legal age of 21.
         I look forward to all the wonderful memories we will share when my time comes and we’re all three together again. I’m sure you are totally enjoying sharing your lifetime of memories with your parents, and your younger brother, Richard, now that you are all together again.

Sincerely, your lifetime friend,
Boats 😊