The task of describing Brian Miller is not a difficult
one. Especially not with an audience
like this one made of people who knew him.
Even if you met him just once, you knew him. There was no “fake” Brian, what you saw and
heard was who he was…no b.s., occasionally obscene, more than sparingly
irreverent, and damn proud of himself.
To say that he was larger than life sounds so clichéd, but it just so
happens in his case to be very true. He
was, both literally and figuratively…naked to the world.
In this room, there are hundreds of stories about
Brian. Stories about crazy things he
did, stories about his dreams, stories that paint a picture…a legacy…of just
who this man was that we all loved. Many
of these tales seem to include the following line: “He was a guy who would help out
ANYONE.” There probably aren’t many
people here that can say Brian didn’t help them out at some point in some
way…he was simply one of the most giving people any of us will ever meet. Brian’s life seemed to be scheduled upon the
needs of others…often, he just left out the little niceties of life like food
and sleep because somebody he knew needed something. In today’s world, a person like that is a
rare find indeed, and a treasure that we must keep alive not only in our hearts,
but in our actions.
Brian’s untimely departure leaves a huge gap in many of our
lives. An enormous persona like his will
not be easily replaced or glossed over, nor should it. Reflecting on Brian will of course bring much
sadness. He was so full of life as to be
bursting, rarely was he without a smile and a boisterous laugh. He was a great friend. His journey was way too short. And we are all worse off without him. And it leaves us all with a great feeling of
emptiness.
But its not all bad.
Now is the time for us all to reflect on how Brian touched
our lives. In no time, those tears will
turn to smiles. We have lost a great
friend, son, and brother. But how lucky
were we to have known him. How fortunate
to have this person in our lives and now forever in our memories? Brian’s legacy will always live, so long as
we keep him in our hearts and in our minds.
Most importantly, Brian can live on in our actions. The next time we lend someone a helping hand,
and it does not matter WHO, be they friend or complete stranger, we can all
think of Brian, because that is just what he would have done. Live your lives like this, and Brian will
always be with you in spirit.
Now Brian is ahead of us all in that great race to the
horizon. You may picture him as you knew
him best, with monster horsepower in hand, under foot, or between his
legs. He is racing. And he is at peace.
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