I decided to read all of the online obits, which go back to the middle of 2005, and see what I've missed. Turns out there were a few surprises. There were lots of my parents's friends and acquaintances, which stands to reason.
But I wasn't prepared to see an obituary for Mark Rhodes, the guy standing next to me in this photo, just before we took off for the prom in the spring of 1962.
Mark and I were in the band, pep band and dance band together. He was a year older and played trombone. We also dated girls from Lafayette and West Lafayette, which set the stage for double-dating to share gas expenses, mostly in his parents' big Buick.
I lost track of Mark after high school, but I read in his obit that he served in the Army in Vietnam and earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. He died the day after my birthday, July 15, 2008, in his home in Waxahachie, Texas. The cause wasn't listed but the request for donations to the Livestrong Foundation suggests it was cancer.
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