Lost a friend

[Rob Littleton]

To realize the value of a friend......lose one.

On Sunday afternoon we had received a VERY sad email.

I used to work at Cisco and I befriended this "giant". This guy was 6'6 and about 290. In finding out more about him, he shared that he has been a line backer for the NY Jets, NY Giants and the Lions. My wife later joined Cisco and Deron became a team member of hers. My wife took Deron under her wing as she has had many years of marketing compared to Derons few. Deron struggled and my wife managed to carry him through. They become real close (she used to introduce him as her little brother. My wife is 4 foot :-) Picture that.

He hated the tech life stress but had to continue it to pay the price of living in the silicon valley. His wish to get back into coaching kids and enjoying living.

Deron Thorp was born in August of 1973 (making him 33 years old), he has a beautiful wife, a daughter of 4 years and a daughter of 15 months.

On Saturday morning, early in the morning, Derons wife went into the bathroom to find laying lifeless. It is assumed he had a major heart attack and there, fell asleep.

I will be driving back to California this week to pay respects to Deron before they lay him to rest finally.

I am 39 years old and eat like I dont care. I have 3 children and a beautiful wife.

When I see my wife walking around the house daily, sobbing and heartbroken, it makes me stop and think. My daughter and boys make me know that they dont want me to leave them.

Guys and Gals, please understand I share this because it takes something like this to make me realize my short comings. It hurts and I have time to think about waht I do and the consequences to my family.

Please take a moment to hug your children, call them and tell them you love them. In times like this, bad words or cross words from the past are irrelevant. You cannot bring them back to say sorry. Call someone and tell them sorry for sinning against them. Now might be your last chance.

Thanks for listening.

Signing off...........A grown man crying.

[Jim Becker]

Very sad to hear of your and the LOYL's personal loss, Rob.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Sorry to hear about your loss. You and the LOYL are in my thoughts and prayers!

[Martin Shupe]

My brother, who was not a small man, died under very similar circumstances a few years ago.

I am sorry for your loss.

[Jon Eckels]

My mother's partner (a man, they just don't really care to get married at 60) had a heart attack a few years ago that put him in this hospital for a while - he had to have bypass surgery or something, not sure about the details, but not surprisingly it was a huge scare for him, and turned his life around. His marriage at the time wasn't doing so well (and him and his now ex-wife eventually divorced) but he was always a good father.

One of the things he decided to do, other than change his eating/drinking habits, was he took his two daughters out of school for a month, bought a van, and took a driving tour of the USA. A wonderful experience for all of them that brought them all closer together.

It's those kind of scary experiences that can really shape your life for the better in the end, if you make it. I found his story inspiring, and i hope it doesn't come to that for me, but i see myself going down the same road - only time will tell what happens.

I'm sorry to hear about your loss, but it's good that you look inward to learn from it. Change your life for the better while you can because you only get one shot at it. Good luck.

[Dennis Peacock]

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. My thoughts and prayers will be with you and the family.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

33 years old is simply too young. Very sad to hear this.
-Jeff

[Rennie Heuer]

A poignant reminder that tomorrow is not promised to us.
Thanks for sharing this.

[Jerry Olexa]

Rob, a very well written note about a very sad event. Your insight and perspective on this are rare..Thanks. We will pray for your friend and his family..

[Dave Ray]

Rob, your well written note serves as a good reminder to let all the people we care about know how we feel while we have the chance. Take every opportunity to show you truly care
I am truly sorry for the loss of your friend. I pray for you and both yours and his families. Thank you for this reminder to us all.