Curtis lived down the hill on Grant St. from us, so we knew each other fairly well. He was funny and pleasant to be around. If anyone can find the yearbook picture with him putting his whole fist in his mouth..well, that was Curtis.
Unfortunately, my most vivid memory of Curtis was the night he died. I was working at Life Flight when Pittsburgh Medic 10 requested the Trauma Team for a security guard at the 7-Eleven on Western Ave who was shot during an armed robbery. When they wheeled Curtis past my window and into the ER, I saw that it was him. Not long after, his parents and his brother Corny came in and were met by the social work staff, etc.
Curtis was a gentle soul, and the way he died seemed unfair and not in keeping with how I remembered him. There is comfort in the knowledge that he is with his Lord, but there was a senselessness to his death that still lingers with me today.
As a parent now, and even working in a business where this is not an out of the ordinary occurrence, I still wonder how one deals with the kind of news like Curtis' family got that night. It's one of those things that you hope you'll never have to deal with.
Thanks John, I was not aware that Curtis has died in the manner he did. I'll track that **famous** picture of him down and pass it on to Renee.
Man, Curtis was a sweet guy...and I'm struggling with this...so all I can do is put this all in the Lord's hands and handle as in Mark T's death...and captured by Renee:
"if anything good has come of... death is that I have learned to cherish each day I have as you never know when it will be your time."
Curtis and Corny would build these little buggies out of anything they could scrounge up,pull them up the hill and fly down past our house over and over....all day! Whenever the request was made for Curtis to put his fist in his mouth, he would look at you and say"The grease of a Quarter..." That poor guy. Not alot of things got to me like that. After Johnny told me about it I was jacked up for a week. His soul is free, but what a damned dirty shame. A consistantly kind smiling face on a truely decent person is too rare to lose, especially like that. I called him a friend and am grateful for it.
I will always miss Curtis. We used to hang out down by the river and the railroad tracks attempting everything from impossible bike stunts to homemade river raft trips. He was always smiling, always funny, and always there when you needed him. See you on the other side my friend, JR
John Linko
Curtis lived down the hill on Grant St. from us, so we knew each other fairly well. He was funny and pleasant to be around. If anyone can find the yearbook picture with him putting his whole fist in his mouth..well, that was Curtis.Unfortunately, my most vivid memory of Curtis was the night he died. I was working at Life Flight when Pittsburgh Medic 10 requested the Trauma Team for a security guard at the 7-Eleven on Western Ave who was shot during an armed robbery. When they wheeled Curtis past my window and into the ER, I saw that it was him. Not long after, his parents and his brother Corny came in and were met by the social work staff, etc.
Curtis was a gentle soul, and the way he died seemed unfair and not in keeping with how I remembered him. There is comfort in the knowledge that he is with his Lord, but there was a senselessness to his death that still lingers with me today.
As a parent now, and even working in a business where this is not an out of the ordinary occurrence, I still wonder how one deals with the kind of news like Curtis' family got that night. It's one of those things that you hope you'll never have to deal with.
Lee Murrer
My blood is boiling........http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04119/307697-53.stm
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04116/306265-85.stm
but some recompense...
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04139/318030-53.stm
Thanks John, I was not aware that Curtis has died in the manner he did. I'll track that **famous** picture of him down and pass it on to Renee.
Man, Curtis was a sweet guy...and I'm struggling with this...so all I can do is put this all in the Lord's hands and handle as in Mark T's death...and captured by Renee:
"if anything good has come of... death is that I have learned to cherish each day I have as you never know when it will be your time."
Best, rlm
David Dave Linko
Curtis and Corny would build these little buggies out of anything they could scrounge up,pull them up the hill and fly down past our house over and over....all day!Whenever the request was made for Curtis to put his fist in his mouth, he would look at you and say"The grease of a Quarter..." That poor guy. Not alot of things got to me like that. After Johnny told me about it I was jacked up for a week.
His soul is free, but what a damned dirty shame. A consistantly kind smiling face on a truely decent person is too rare to lose, especially like that. I called him a friend and am grateful for it.
John Rickard
I will always miss Curtis. We used to hang out down by the river and the railroad tracks attempting everything from impossible bike stunts to homemade river raft trips. He was always smiling, always funny, and always there when you needed him.See you on the other side my friend,
JR