[Tawny71]

Hey everyone…
Yesterday, Wormy, Pat, and I were all able to attend Howard's memorial service. It was an amazing tribute to a really awesome man. I wanted to share some things with you from the memorial.

Howard was a huge sports fan, so his family requested we all wear sports jerseys to the service. I have to admit…I felt pretty strange walking into a synagogue so casually dressed, but after arriving and seeing lots of other people in jerseys, I felt right at home. We walked in and were welcomed by the rabbi. We gave Mindi (Howard's wife) and Josh (Howard's son) hugs, and then were seated. The service itself was quite beautiful. A man sang a song, and then the Rabbi welcomed us with some words about Howard. Next, we were asked to read a poem together. It was quite beautiful, and something that I think is perfect for what Howard would have wanted.

Epitaph
By Merrit Malloy

When I die
Give what’s left of me away
To children
And old men that wait to die.

And if you need to cry,
Cry for your brother
Walking the street beside you.
And when you need me,
Put your arms
Around anyone
And give them
What you need to give to me.

I want to leave you something,
Something better
Than words
Or sounds.

Look for me
In the people I’ve known
Or loved,
And if you cannot give me away,
At least let me live on in your eyes
And not your mind.

You can love me most
By letting
Hands touch hands,
By letting bodies touch bodies,
And by letting go
Of children
That need to be free.

Love doesn’t die,
People do.
So, when all that’s left of me
Is love,
Give me away.

Next, Howard's wife spoke. Y'all …let me tell you. It takes a lot of courage to speak at the funeral of a loved one. I've spoken at my son's funeral and at my step dad's funeral, and it is HARD. But the thought of speaking at the funeral of a man you've been married to for almost 25 years is devastating. I don't know how she did it, but she did. She shared stories that made us laugh, and thoughts that made us (or at least me) tear up. Bravely, she made it through her whole speech without breaking down.

After that, several of Howard's friends spoke about him. They spoke of his love for sports. And his willingness to always help anyone who needed it. And they spoke of his ability to make everyone else feel good, even when he was feeling sick and weak. They so vividly described him that I said afterward that you could've walked in to that service without ever having met Howard, and then walked out feeling as if you knew him well. The speakers' stories were funny and bittersweet, and made me miss my friend even more.

The final speaker was Josh, Howard's son. Josh is in college at Brevard and is very involved in theatre. And, in case you didn't know, his dad loved him FIERCELY. He was so incredibly proud of Josh. (He was also proud of his daughter Nina, but Howard spent lots of time telling me about Josh, so I always felt like I knew him, even before I did.) Josh was the only person to speak of Howard's love of coasters, and in doing so, he even gave a shout out to Carowinds Connection. I'm so impressed by Josh's ability to share with us during such a difficult time.

I'm so thankful that I got to attend the service, and I wanted to share with you all how wonderful it was. I hate that Howard is gone, but I'm glad that his memory lives on with those of us who loved him.

Josh (Howard's son) has requested that we all meet up at Carowinds one day this summer and spend a day riding in Howard's memory. Once we get that set up, I will let you all know. I hope some of you will make it out to remember our friend.

[FamousAmos]

Thank you for posting this Tawny.

[tydalton]

Prayers to his Family

[Edwardo]

Thanks for sharing. Keep us posted, I definitely think we should go ride in his honor this summer.

[arby]

Thank you, Tawny, Wormy, and Pat for going and representing all of us. I wish I could have been there.

Sunday marked the 3 year mark where I lost a great friend, and someone who I highly looked up to. He was Howard's age and ironically shared the same philosophy as Howard: always find the positive, don't dwell on the negative, and treat others with kindness and respect.

Both of them have a lasting legacy on the positive impact they had on everybody they came in contact with. They will both continue to live on through all of us and demonstrated the true men that they both were: great men. Greatness comes in the ability to put others first and exemplify the kindness that we often find lacking around us.

Thank you, Howard, for being a friend to everybody you came in contact with. If I can merely become half of the man that you were, my life will be a success.

[FamousAmos]

This is the only photo I have with Howard. This was probably his second or third ride on Fury during the media event. He was such a blast to ride with. Now every time we crest the lift hill, we will always think of both Howard and Max.