Bitter blow today as I tracked down whereabouts of an old friend...to discover he died last year!

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PaulB

Legendary Member
Location
Colne
Where I grew up, a large catholic family moved in two doors down from us and we all became friends, me especially with one boy of my own age, Jimmy. We'd go to football matches and even though he supported a team that makes my stomach retch, we remained firm friends. After a few years though, after lots of discussion, the family went back to a mediterranean island where the mother came from so we lost touch. I'd made some efforts down the years to find Jimmy but all to no avail. I just tracked them down this morning and in doing so, discovered through one of his brothers, that Jimmy died in October last year! I'm very sad about this, as you might imagine.
 

twentysix by twentyfive

Clinging on tightly
Location
Over the Hill
Aw Shucks :sad:
 
D

Deleted member 35268

Guest
That's awful.

I've lost touch with a good friend also. I've tried everything to try and find him but to no avail. I will never give up.
 
I tracked down a dear childhood friend once, with quite a bit of difficulty. Our lives had taken very different paths, though, and we had absolutely nothing in common any more. For years afterwards I used to get her excruciating round robin newsletters at Christmas, until something happened (who knows what? who cares?) and they ceased. Sorry if that lowers the tone a bit.
It does and it doesn't. I discovered with friends that the past is often the past and if you lose touch it's normally because you drifted apart, not always but normally.

Strangely enough, given the op, I ran into an old school friend recently who included me on the reunion email, about which I have mixed feelings and there are a few names I don't even have a mental image for. He also told me that one of my old class mates had died, which I either knew and had forgotten or thought I knew, it's a bit vague in my head but nevertheless I feel some pain and sadness that he's gone and I understand the op's sadness at his own discovery.
 
D

Deleted member 26715

Guest
When it was coming up to my fathers 90th birthday we tried to contact a man who he had done his national service with in 1946, they had been born on the same day & their army serial number was 1 digit different, they had spent the whole time together. They had kept in touch into the late 60's or early 70's but then all contact had appeared to have petered out. Unfortunately after several months I found out he had died when he was 84, it would have been great to bring them together, but alas not to happen.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
A few years ago Liam C, a very charismatic and much-loved member of our old college climbing club died after a long illness. One of the club members took it upon himself to coordinate things in his own rather gauche way and we duly attended the funeral, which stopped the traffic in Ripon as Liam had been so popular in many walks of life.

This chap who organised everything is a black and white character who had always had a strong dislike for another member of the group named Clive so he didn't tell the poor bloke his climbing comrade had died. Months later Clive 'phoned me in tears saying: "Is this true? I've just heard that Liam died and has been buried! Nobody told me!"

I never liked the club member much but now I can't forgive him for that, it was a disgusting act of cruelty.
 
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arch684

Veteran
Yes it's always sad when we lose family or friends and the older we get the more it happens but that life
 

SpokeyDokey

68, & my GP says I will officially be old at 70!
Moderator
A sad post. What a horrible case of unfortunate timing. :sad:
 

Levo-Lon

Guru
One of my best old mates died of cancer this year..i missed the funeral as he moved and i didnt know..
life ...
 

classic33

Leg End Member
Always the hardest part when tracing a person. They always seemed to expect there'd be nothing but good news.
 

coffeejo

Ælfrēd
Location
West Somerset
Never easy. My condolences.

I recently found out that an old friend from many years ago was involved in a serious car wreck and suffered severe brain injuries. The last update was in June, saying that he was beginning the long process of relearning how to talk. Today is his birthday. I haven't made contact as we drifted apart, as happens, and the last time we saw one another, we had very little to say. Thanks to modern technology, it's fairly easy to keep in vague contact with friends who have become mere acquaintances, and that's no bad thing, but sometimes it's best to let go.
 

Tommy2

Über Member
Location
Harrogate
A girl I went to school with died in a car crash a couple of years after we left school and it was a couple of years after the event that I found out.
It was quite saddening as even though I didn't know her very well, she was not particularly popular at school but when she left she began to find friends and seemed to be enjoying life so the fact that she was taken so young after just starting to come alive was upsetting.
 
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