I last saw Dr. Tim when I visited his offices for an adjustment before the holidays. Tim was in no condition to be doing chiropractic adjustments himself, having gone through treatment for cancer at Mayo Clinic. Yet there he was, taking care of office business and as usual, putting on a happy face for his friends and customers.
Yesterday I went in for an overdue adjustment with his partner Jerry Retzlaff. Jerry gave me a very good adjustment but twice he said: "A lot has happened since you were last in."
Finally he just said it. Tim had died at 4AM that morning. His spinal implant had failed completely.
I have lost a very good friend.
I first met Tim when I was teaching at North Junior High School - through his now deceased first wife Margie - we taught English together.
Tim and I became good friends through common interests. We both love WWII history and Tim was a collector of memorabilia. We also loved to go fishing.
Tim was a very generous man. He never charged me for my adjustments. In turn, I would take him on canoeing, camping/fishing trips with my beat up old canoe, and occasionally I would bring his staff pizzas.
Our favorite river to fish small mouth bass was the Jump River near Sheldon, Wisconsin. At about the half way point in the trip there was a very nice outcropping of sand stone rock that jutted out into the river -- perfect for a camp fire and cooking both supper and breakfast. Up the hill from the point, we would pitch the little two man tent amid the cedars and sleep blissfully to the sounds and smells of the river and the cedars.
One of the most unique memories I will always have of Tim was the day we were fishing on the river and had guided the canoe over to the shoreline to have the sandwiches I had prepared for our lunch.
Right in the middle of lunch, a thrush landed right on top of Tim's head. Tim looked at me and said: "Is that what I think it
is?" The bird sat there for at least 5 seconds as we both stared at each other in wonder.
I think the thrush recognized a gentle soul.
I got the call this morning to be a pall bearer. It will be a sacred honor.
Tell those that you love that you love them today, for we never know.
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