Rest in peace a good man too young to pass

Sad to hear the news of an old school friend passing. 

We were out with friends on Friday night, when I met this lovely girl.  As we started talking we found how we had both grown up in Aberfoyle Park/Flagstaff Hill and had gone to the same high school.  She was much younger than me so we would not have been there at the same time.  We were surprised about these coincidences. Then she told me her brother's name and that he had passed away 1 1/2 years ago. 

A huge wave came over me and drained my energy.  I could not beleive what I was hearing.  It was a massive shock because I had known him.  We were not very close or anything, but I knew him and had spoken to him on quite a few occasions when I was young.  He was in the year level below me at school and we had spent nights at Le Rox talking.  I remember him being a sweet and friendly guy, a really nice person and always made an effort to say hello and make that connection.  I also had kept contact on Facebook in recent years so had seen photos of him and his amazing two metre tall sand sculptures, and family.  

I couldn't beleive it.  Poor girl and family.

She told me the had a stroke and they did not even have time to say goodbye.  There was an abnormality in his artery going into his brain.  It was like a time bomb ticking away.  He was on life support but they couldn't save him so they turned it off.  Tragically and sadly he left behind a wife, little girl and an unborn child (a little boy).  His wife was only one month pregnant.  He was also a talented artist sculpture.  He was not like the rest of the people in their family (she told me) as he was a special person.  There was something different about him.  She cried...I cried. 

I felt sorry that she had to relive this experience every time she met someone like me who knew him and did not know of his passing.  This will happen to her again no doubt.  She showed me photos of his children on her camera.  I feel so sad for their family.  I hope they do not mind I wrote about him in this journal.

What a horrible tragedy.  He was only 36 years old.

RIP Simon Benn (1973 to 2009) - a good man too young to pass away. I will remember Simon.