Cary Peele (Friend)
Tommy Faulkner was a dear friend of ours. He was a Vietnam Vet we met in California many years ago. He used to come visit us in Texas at least once a year or so, but over the last three years his war wounds started to really catch up with him and cause him considerable pain. So we started making a couple trips a year to Fayetteville, AR to visit him and check up on him and party like Socrates. The last time we went in September he was starting to show some signs of wear and tear. He had pain all over his body from his ankles to his neck caused by shrapnel from a land mine that went off right behind him in Vietnam. He was a bit of a miracle in that he even walked again.
He was a great golfer, swimmer, artist, philosopher, musician and we always rode bikes when he came to visit. He also had his law degree, but gave that up years ago because as he said the law profession was, "... just one asshole suing another asshole."
His cell phone went off a few weeks ago and that concerned us as we had always talked at least twice a week. I called his neighbor yesterday and she told us what happened. He was 60. We loved him like a brother and will miss him dearly. Love you bro.