The Wife and I rented The Bucket List over the weekend. Several celebrities that actually matter have shuffled off as well as a good friend recently, so maybe it wasn’t a good movie choice. Logically, I know that death is a natural part of life and all that, but I still think it’s a bastard. To be honest; it scares me. This is probably really selfish, but… death is a roll of the dice. The main reason behind my body transformation is “I want the second half of my life to be better than the first”. It would really suck to get fit.. then have a stroke, develop cancer, etc.
The Bucket List stars two of the greatest movie actors of all time; Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. Trivia – the actress (Beverly Todd) that plays Freeman’s wife in TBL also played his Vice-Principal in Lean on Me! Freeman is a honorable family man who gave up his dream of being a teacher to spend 45-years as a mechanic to support his family. Nicholson plays a megalomaniac who has more money than God. They meet in a hospital room: in a hospital that Jack owns. They both find out that they have just months to live. Morgan starts working on a Bucket List (things to do before you die) that is philosophical. Jack wants to add things that are more hedonistic. Eventually Morgan’s dreams and Jack’s money are joined and they set off around the world.
The ending is heart-wrenching, but heart-warming at the same time. But still… they both die. Morgan doesn’t get to finish the list, and Jack is just staring to live life for more than the bottom line (his eulogy at Morgan’s funeral is a tear-jerker and the ‘beautiful woman he kisses’… wow!). I have to admit, their burial location is pretty amazing. But… it was Morgan’s mountain… and he didn’t get to see it.
Iconic deaths In the past month; Tim Russert, Bob Anderson (young George Bailey), Jim McKay, Harvey Korman, Bo Diddley, Dick Martin (Laugh-In), Sydney Pollack, Sandy Courage (composer of the Star Trek Theme), and George Carlin just today… but the one that really hit home was the death of Winfield Scott Hancock (is that a cool name or what?).
Scott was a tremendous family man, community leader and all around great guy. He was a retired Oregon State Trooper, tireless kids sports booster, and always had a fresh off-color joke to share.
I met Scott right after I moved to Pendleton, I don’t remember exactly why I met him that first time. Probably because he was involved in something that needed some radio coverage. I know that he was a leader in getting the high school track complex built and, with his best friend Rollin Schimmel, the Wrestling Building. Scott invited me to join the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization that has supporting kids sports at the center of its mission.
Scott installed me as an officer in our local lodge on Monday, June 9th. Even in the midst of the ceremony; he was cracking with the sarcasm. He died on June 12th. I went to his memorial service on Friday. Listening to the people who had known him for a lifetime; I was struck by the perception that these people had the same experience with Scott over the span of 70 years that I had in just 5 years. He was loyal, dedicated, loving, and tough.
We had a Lodge Family day up in the Blues planned last Saturday… it didn’t happen. Scott wasn’t there. I was talking with a couple other Knights, the assessment wasn’t that it didn’t happen because Scott wasn’t there to make it happen. It didn’t happen because none of us could imagine the event without him. But we will have to. We will have to figure a way for our organization to fill the gap left by this man. Filling the gap in our lives will be considerably harder.
Death really sucks!
I need to see that movie. Sorry about the personal loss, also. We can add Tyler Hansell to that sad list as well. I think his loss affected people in just about every part of this county.
I was thinking there was someone else. I only had one opportunity to meet Tyler, his legacy here in the county is tremendous.