Jess Roe
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At 6pm yesterday, I got the call that Jess decided it was time to go.
I immediately go in the car and made the drive through horrid rush hour traffic.
I arrived to a large gathering of people at the ranch, and Jess laying in his bed.. old, tired,and broken.
I told him I was sorry I could not come on Tuesday, as I had planned. Told him that I loved him. His last words to me were "I love you too, son"
Jess spent part of his last day working - pricing knives and swords for an upcoming event and business that his apprentice will take over.
Jess held out a while longer, for his sister to arrive. When she got there, he spoke to her for a bit, then started to let go.
He fell asleep a little after 7:30, in the arms of a young woman he loves. I held his feet, so to help him walk the journey he was about to take. Other held his hands, so to guide him. Others held his arms, so to give him strength. He passed away in the arms of people he loved, and people who love him.
Jess Roe, you will be forever missed and in my heart. You passed away this morning at 3:57am, amongst many friends and family. A fitting time for you to go, given your love of guns.
Throughout our 28 years as friends, you have given and taught me respect, knowledge, patience, strength, wisdom, and the courage to carry on through hard times. You have guided me, urged me, pushed me, and taught me to do things I never thought possible. You have wounded me and healed me more times than I can count. You have molded me into the person I have become.
You were Mentor, Friend, Sensei, Father, Mother, and Brother, all rolled into one. I could never have asked for a better friend. There are no words to describe what you were to me and many others. You were The Force.
You apologized when I got married in 2003, and then you talked me out of killing a man in 2008.
You taught me knife and sword-making, and the arts of combat. You taught me what it really means to be alive.
If you were born a few hundred years ago, you would have been a king.
You were a great man.
May the women be plentiful, the swords be sharp, and the horses be fast.
I love you.