Inspiration

As I do most every morning, I was perusing the obituaries..  I've stopped looking at them individually as the ages are becoming way too familiar and a wee bit scary but I scan done through the listed names of recently departed. When a familiar name appears, I check it out hoping it really is no one I know or knew. Powers.. a very familiar and local and even related name caught my eye.  Duane O. Powers.  Nope, didn't ring a bell but at my age there's always the possibility of the person being a  child of someone I knew...(that in itself scares the hell out of me). Anyway, I decided to read and see if anyone "left behind" was someone I should respectfully contact. The obit began this way:

Duane O. Powers December 28, 2010

I, Duane O. Powers, kicked the bucket on December 28, 2010. I knew I was going to die sooner or later, but I had hoped it would be later. I lived a good life. I'm proud of the four years I served our country in the U.S. Navy from 1953 to 1957. I've enjoyed 50 years or more as a motorcyclist, heavy equipment operator and American Legion member. My greatest joy in life has been my family and my friends. Traveling by motorcycle has been another joy in my life, and I would like to share the stories of some of my most memorable trips: In August of 1954, my younger brother, Dale, and I left our home in DeRuyter, NY, on my Harley-Davidson motorcycle to visit our older brother, Roy, and his wife, Mae, in El Paso, Texas, where Roy was in the U.S. Army. Our entire trip was 5000 miles by the time we got back to DeRuyter, and we were gone two weeks. Then I rode back to North Carolina, where I was stationed in the U.S. Navy. In July of 1987, my 12-year-old daughter, Wendy, went with me on a two-week trip on my restored 1947 Harley-Davidson Knuckle-head from Austin, Texas, to Central Nebraska, visiting relatives and friends. The 1947 was my main ride for 15 years. In April of 2000, I bought a new Harley-Davidson and on June 1, 2003, I started a trip to Alaska with a riding partner. This ride had been at least a 40-year dream of mine. We were gone 47 days and by the time I got home I had traveled 13,020 miles. In my working career I operated bulldozer and other earth moving equipment in New York, Nebraska and Texas. My longest time with an employer was with Orchard Earth and Pipe Corp. of Solvay, NY, from 1989 to 2008. So must be I did not treat my employer too badly or he would not have kept me around that long. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I am survived by son, Michael Powers; daughters, Wendy Powers Kelly, Michelle Powers and Rebecca Thompson; and brothers, Roy Powers and Dale Powers. The calling hours will be held at Smith Funeral Home, DeRuyter, on Sunday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. The funeral service will be at the United Church of DeRuyter on Monday at 11 a.m. I hope that when remembering me, family and friends will be more likely to laugh than cry. Instead of flowers, I would appreciate donations to the United Church of DeRuyter, the Woodford Burdick American Legion Post, the DeRuyter Library or Hospice in my name.

I never met Duane, I wasn't familiar w/ any of his family, I'd never ever even heard of Duane.....but I can tell one thing for sure... I would have liked Duane. His sense of humor came streaming through in every word and every line.  He was a content men who lived a good life and wanted everyone who knew him, and those of us who wish we had, to remember that life is short and most generally we make it what it is....or was.  This is the first obit I have seen written in the first person and I'm inspired.  I have penned my wishes for the immediate hereafter and made their whereabouts known to those who will be "following orders!"  I will now be adding one more item to my "bucket list"... Write your own obit! Pretty much follows my lifetime philosophy " If you want something done right, do it yourself!"  So this month after paying the property taxes, the income taxes, the estimated taxes, the sales taxes, the tire taxes, the homeowners insurance, the car insurance, the liability insurance, the boat, ATV and snowmobile insurances, the shop insurances, the Florida and Locke house insurances and the regular every month living expenses....................., if there's an ounce of strength left in my bucket.....I'll put pen to paper (or more likely fingers to keys) and document my last publication.  I can put down the when I arrived and hopefully the when I left part will be far down the road. At least I will be living up to my friend and mentor, in all things written and spoken, Shirley....I'd rather be ready and not go then to go and not be ready!