Ian was my buddy since before I can even remember. He made everything more fun, whether it was Sunday school, or camping trips, or our parents' get togethers throughout the years. Later, after everyone had dispersed and the get-togethers were no longer required, Ian and I were each others' go-tos on the holidays anyway. I remember just driving around with him on Christmas night and laughing that everything was closed and I guess this is just what we were doing now - driving down Hagadorn Road on Christmas for no reason at all. But it was fun. 

The story I like the most about Ian is the time we all went camping near Lake Michigan - our moms probably know whether it was Muskegon or PJ Hoffmaster State Park? and we all went to Ponderosa for dinner. Well, after we got back to our tents each and every person in that campsite we were all throwing up from food poisoning all night long. You can imagine how gross it was, camping, with everyone throwing up everywhere in the middle of the night. In the morning, Ian asked, what happened? Blissfully unaware about the night the rest of us had, apparently he was the only person in the campsite who didn't get food poisoning, and he had slept through the whole thing. Either he had an iron stomach or he had passed on the clam chowder at Ponderosa. 

Bree, Matt, and Ellen, I have a hundred other memories of Ian and I'm so, so sad that he is gone from this world. I will miss him so very much, and I feel like a part of my history is gone with him. Khanh, thank you for sharing all these wonderful pictures of Ian living his best life right until the very end. This is an enormous loss.  I'm looking forward to giving everyone a big big hug in April. 

I love you guys and want to take this pain of losing Ian away and I can't express enough how much I believe Ian went too soon. He had so much life to live! And he sure would have lived it! He is on a whole new adventure that none of us here have walked before.  I have many fond memories of hanging out at the Randalls house in Haslett and Ian would often come around to give us girls a good laugh. He was always so kind, sweet and full of life! what a honor to have spent time with this beautiful soul. 

Always Remember...

Those we love don't go away, they walk besides us everyday <3