Memories

If you've read my precious entries, you have found me to be really cynical and overly sarcastic. I take a step back today to remember a great man. Today I came home for lunch and logged on to my Facebook page. There was an entry from Donna Crowther. The entry was titled "Christmas Tree Lot with Tim 1994". The tag line was as follows: This may not be meaningful to everyone else, but it is classic Tim at Christmas....Enjoy the memories everyone!" I clicked on it and it was a video of the Crowther Family at Christmas time. I sat and wept at the sight of Tim before me again. As I sat with Amy and Jackson at dinner tonight I was telling Amy about the video and the pictures that his daughter in law posted and I broke down, just as I am doing as I write this. Why you ask?
Tim passed away in 1996. That has stuck with me every day since. You see, Tim Crowther was one the best men I have ever had the pleasure to be friends with. Tim was a contemporary of my dad's, he was a Peace Officer for the City of Glendora. He was also a champion of the Glendora community. Tim only knew of me through my dad and the first day that I met Tim he took a liking to me, I have no clue why. I can remember that day when he came up behind me and said that I had grease on my neck. My dad had a side business of selling used car parts. Tim proceeds to tell me it must run in our veins. Tim had a way with words.
From that moment on, Tim always made me feel as if he was watching over me. I played basketball for the man, baseball and he was instrumental in me looking at a career in law enforcement at one time. His family and his community were his life. When Glendora Police Officer Louis Pompeii was killed and his murderers were on trial, Time was there for every court appearance, I believe. Why, because he cared for Louie. He would have done that for most anyone that was in his heart.
Tim always had a warm smile and a kind word. Unless you pissed him off. I only witnessed his temper once. During a little league game at San Dimas High School, the umpire was baiting Tim. He took the bait and he erupted. It took 2 or 3 people to separate him from that ump. He was remorseful of that day because he told that showed a lack of character. I said it showed he was human. He just flashed that smile and told me to never do what he did. A few years later, I was playing high school football at Charter Oak High School. I was rarely on the field, however this night I got some unusually high minutes on the field. I recognized one of the referees as the umpire that Tim had the infamous disagreement with. As a play developed, I had a vision, a vision that entailed me putting my helmet in this guys back and exacting a little revenge. So, I had a 10 yard start and put a lick on this guy as hard as I would have had he been in pads. He went ass over tea kettle about 5 yards out of bounds. I then got up and said, earmuffs for those with an aversion to profanity, "That was for Tim Crowther, you low life motherfucker". His eyes were crossed and he was a little out of it. I don't remember ever telling Tim about that, but I'm sure he would not have been pleased.
In conclusion, seeing this video brought back many great memories of Tim. I had an opportunity to see Donna this week and that voice just brought be back to being a 12 year old kid at the ball park again. It also was hard as I have the utmost respect and love for Tim. I can never, ever imagine the pain and sorrow his family feels. They are great people. Donna, Dan and Dana, I feel that I am a better person for knowing him and I am sure that you are, too......in spades. I look at my son Jackson and feel a little cheated that he is not able to get a little of that magic dust that I got as a kid.