When Sharon and I were dating we used to walk from Seattle Pacific College down Queen Anne Hill towards the Space Needle, always hand in hand. Our conversation never varied, just talk of the future, our love for each other.
(Not the original garage.)
On the west side of Queen Anne Boulevard, we invariably passed an open garage door, a beige and white house with chipped and fading paint, and usually a bunch of teenage kids obviously five or six years younger. They were almost always hovering around some kind of plastic or wooden box on a card table. It was just a mild curiosity, not really terribly interesting to us. But in our lives, we all occasionally pass by greatness without ever really knowing, comprehending or understanding. In that cluttered little garage were Bill Gates, Paul Allen and a few others whose names we’ll never know.
Life is sweet, but it’s short. And it’s so important for each of us to treasure memories, and wonderful friends, and loved ones, and the knowledge that there are profound forces far beyond our human comprehension. Every moment is special, but for some of us, it takes too long to realize the real magic of coincidence and the dynamics of time.
There’s never really enough time in life to express our fondness and love of friends and family and our common history. Selfishly, this moment is mine.
I met Ward through my profession. I was not a story line. My 5-year-old daughter was having health problems that Ward and I talked about. Ward called me 2 weeks later and he passed on some information he had discovered while investigating what we had discussed about her. Through that conversation and others we became friends. I was a single mom. I bought a guinea pig for my daughter but could not afford an expensive cage so I put her pet in a large fish acquarium with shavings. Ward came over one day with a huge wire cage for the guinea pig. I couldln’t believe it. He was so kind. I swear he walked this earth as an angel. He broadcast stories where he saw dishonesty, protecting and informing the public. He entertained us with stories of his love for his family, his Irish Setter, the Buck that walked home with him one day. He never missed an opportunity for a inspirational story. I along with thousands will miss him deeply. He is with his beloved father now. I knew him for three decades. He touches my life even now. I have wonderful memories. RIP my true friend. Thank you for this opportunity to write kindly and lovingly of him. Patricia