Ricky Kulwicki 1961-2011

THIS is why this last February just sucked out loud.

I'm going to attempt to do the impossible: shoehorn in one short-ish blog post everything this man was and is, everything he stood for and exemplified, everything he meant to me. Never mind. Can't be done.

What I will attempt to convey is just what the world lost on Tuesday, February 15th, 2011: the most open, accepting, generous, unfailingly kind, intelligent, funny, punctual and unpretentious soul who ever lived. The gold standard when it comes to loyalty, dedication, sacrifice, dignity. No one knows a better father: you may be just as good, but you're certainly not better. A first-class artist, guitarist and rock historian, a peerless base-running coach, a son, a brother, a father, a friend, a mentor.
For his obituary in the Denver Post, he was described by friends as "...a person of impeccable integrity." "I've never met his equal for pure sunshine and happiness and positivity - he was just a magical character - an ambassador of good-will." "If you ever needed an example of how to live your life, you only had to look at how Rick conducted his."

I got to do that every day of my life. Rick was the best of all positive things...the only thing missing, maybe, was activity in the gospel. But I'll tell you what: I've never met a more Christlike being. The gospel would have blessed his life immeasurably, but his participation wouldn't have made him one ounce of a better person. He was already there.