Sypien

I went to a vocational high school. My class was the first class to come in as Freshman, previous students did not come to the school until they were Sophomore's. My first period class during my freshman year was a computer class taught by a teacher who had taught at the school since it opened in 1965, I didn't know on that day how influential that teacher would become to me.

When we entered our Junior year we began to study our chosen vocations, we spent 3 to 4 hours a day in our vocational classes. For me this meant spending all of my time haunting the computer animation classroom, drawing, learning, playing and laughing. My teacher was Don Sypien, the same teacher I had known since my first day in the school. I had him as a teacher all four years I was at the school. He was a laid back teacher, he spoke to a goofy bunch of teenagers like we were his friends, giving us his opinions on everything from Disney's style of animation to buying stock in Microsoft. Even more than sharing what he thought was the fact that he listened to us, he took interest in who we were as individuals and encouraged us to follow our passions in life.

I wasn't the most talented student in the class, I was creative but not as knowledgeable about the technical side of computer animation. Sypien always pushed me to compete with the boys and paired me with the most technically skilled student to help me learn. After high school, when I knew I wasn't going to pursue computer animation as a career, I remember him encouraging me to go into health care. He knew I was a people person and enjoyed helping people. I laugh that it took me 10 years to see what he saw then and can only imagine he would approve of my choice to become a Dental Assistant.

Last year he became my Facebook friend, it was wonderful to have contact with him again. I loved seeing his opinions on movies, all the old photos he had from his school days and all the pictures of how he was spending his retirement. His wife Joanne, passed away on November 4th. I sent my condolences and my last contact with him was in December. He passed away on January 4th, 2 months after his beloved wife.

It is always sad to lose someone who was such a strong part of your life. My thoughts go out to his family, who I know he adored, he will be missed.

On Death and Dying

While the world stops to remember Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. While people take the time to acknowledge the death of Ed McMahon, David Carradine and Billy Mays. Death goes on around us without most of acknowledging unless we are personally affected but when it happens in our lives we want the world to stop and see the pain that the loss of our loved one has caused.

Yesterday on Facebook a friend mentioned the death of Billy Mays, her friend responded that she didn't care about Billy Mays, Michael Jackson or Farrah Fawcett. She had lost her beloved Grandfather this week and in reading her comments her pain was palpable. She wanted people to know she loved him and in her life her Grandfather was more influential than anyone else being talked about this week.

My family experienced a loss this week also, I have not mentioned it because I felt it was too private. My Aunt passed away Wednesday after a 2 month struggle, my Uncle had to make the heart wrenching decision to take her off life support, he knew it was her wish not to be kept on artificial respiration but the choice to actually take her off was painful. She was a beautiful soul, when I was a bratty teenager she would write me letters. I thought she was great, even when I wanted nothing to do with the rest of family, she was artistic and sensitive. In my own life she was influential and she will be missed.

I was a huge Billy Mays fan, I am a sucker for infomercials and Billy could convince me I needed whatever he was selling. Especially after I bought OxiClean and it worked. I am still sad I never got a Big City Slider for my birthday, the people who know me in real life know how bad my addiction can be but apparently didn't get the hints that I do actually need the Big City Slider.

My little sister was adamant at a time in her life that she would marry either Michael Jackson or Alex Trebek and while she is getting married in December (sorry not to Alex Trebek, I think his wife would be annoyed) she was still sad at the passing of Michael Jackson.

The Rapscallion has become a full fledged MJ addict, he has sat for hours watching videos on YouTube. He has driven all of us in the household a little batty with having to listen to Beat It over and over again. I am all too happy to allow him to explore his new musical interest, I remember myself when the death of Kurt Cobain spurred my own interest in music.