Condolence: I offer my sincere condolences to your family during this difficult time. Continue to lean upon family and friends for support. God gives us comfort and hope at 2 Corinthians 1:3,4 and Revelation 21:4 when we mourn during occasions like these. May you find the peace and strength needed to endure the days ahead.

Condolence: I posted this on facebook, but wanted to post his here, too.

There's not much to his obituary, but Kevin would have wanted it that way. He wouldn't want long, droning, flowery words to describe him. That wasn't him. So I'm gonna try not to do that and just tell you a little about him. Now that it's been made public by the family, I can share this.

I fully believe that everyone comes into your life for a reason, and I believe that come back into your life the same way, as well. Kevin and I grew up in the same small town. I remember the first time I really met and hung out with him. It was church camp with First Baptist. I guess it was probably around '96 or so, cause the Pokemon card game had come out and I taught him how to play. Weird what the brain remembers. We knew each other pretty well through school. Didn't hang out all that much, but we always had a moment to say "hey" or something.

As we grew up and graduated, we lost contact with each other, as you do, and it stayed that way till a couple years ago. I don't remember entirely why, but Kevin had posted something on facebook that made me want to message him again. Our friendship sparked back up and we began hanging out, generally going to the park and goofing on bums. We caught up pretty quickly. More than I thought, honestly. I figured it'd be a one time, "Remember when?" kind of visit and we wouldn't talk to each other again. It wasn't. We began hanging out at least once a week.

When I finally figured out what I wanted to be when I grew up, I was preparing to move to OKC. Kevin had talked about wanting to get out there are start trying to do something, so I extended the offer to come with me. He ultimately accepted and we both enrolled in OCCC. We found a place pretty quick that, at the time, was perfect for what we needed. Things started looking up for both of us.

Then anxiety reared its ugly head. Kevin began to doubt himself about going to school and dropped the semester. Still, I supported his decision. No reason to go if you aren't going to fully commit and enjoy yourself as well. I figured the fall would be the best time for him to start over. Ultimately, it wasn't. Kevin ended up moving back that June, but the time we spent up there was very interesting. We became closer friends than before, talking about a lot of things that I've promised to take to my grave, which I will, of course. His secrets were, and forever will be, safe with me.

Even though he had left, we still talked at least once a week. We'd made plans to hang out again, but I could never get the time between work, school, and dad's medical issues. That's something I regret. But we all do that, don't we? Instead of regretting the times I couldn't spend with him, I'll remember the times I did and laugh. From going to see Gaelic Storm in Tulsa, to that last time we went out to eat, to sitting in our apartment and laughing at It's Always Sunny, to our... interesting, putting it mildly, political discussions, to discussing our plans, to revealing our fears, to helping each other out, through the good and the bad, to the crazy conspiracy theories, to the crazy Netflix binges(Seriously, though, why did we spend so much time on Worst Chefs in America?), to half-eaten cans of spaghetti-o's, to all the cooking between us, to everything said and everything understood without words...

Don't regret the time you lost. Embrace the time you had. Remember the things about him that made you laugh. It's what's getting me through this right now.

Until the next time, Kevin. Have a pint of Guinness for me. I'll do the same for you.

Condolence: I want to express my sincere sympathy for the loss of your dearly loved Kevin. Losing someone so young can be very devastating. Please accept the comfort and hope that can be found in God's Word the Bible. At John 5:28, 29 Jesus promised that we will see our dear loved ones again. Jehovah God has promised that "death will be no more" at Revelation 21:4. I pray these promises will help you to cope in the days to follow as you lean on family, friends and God for comfort and hope, 2 Thessalonians 2:16, 17.