He’s still alive.
When I wrote it, I was all set to post my reminiscence. I had it pasted into the template and was hovering over the “publish” button, when it occurred to me that chances were he had an on-line obituary I could contribute to.
So I started Googling. And there was absolutely no sign that he had died. There weren’t many signs he was still alive, either — this guy has an astonishingly scant digital trail. Someone recommends his painting skills. It appears he and his wife live near ____. They attend a Baptist church up the road that posts its bulletins on-line. The ____s host a weekly Bible Study. It doesn’t look like they have any kids.
His father passed away some years ago, so that may have been the kernel that started the rumor.
Anyway, I got his mailing address from Canada 411, then printed my “obituary” for him and sent it to him. I wrote a short letter explaining how this had come to be. I admitted that, memory being what it is, I had likely confused and conflated some of the details of our exchange — had he really seen Springsteen three times? Had he seen him at all?
Regardless, I said, it meant a great deal to me that I remembered him in this way. Such a short exposure has left such a resonant presence in my gallery of memories. I couldn’t say what any of it “meant,” but I was grateful to him, and I was grateful for him. And I hoped he was well.
I said this was not a bid for further correspondence, but if he felt like contacting me, this was how. I haven’t heard from him.
So there he is — one snail-mail letter richer, I am sure.
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