Shock.

My first job was with my hometown library.  I was that nerdy kid who pushed the cart around the library, reshelving books.  Only rarely did I get to wield the power of the check-out stamp.  Nearly everyday, one of my little friends from school would ride the bus to the library and follow me around, talking about all the issues under the sun as I worked.  He was a nerdy kid too.  We went off to different schools and different lives.  But, we stayed in touch, and remained friends.  We shared similar views on how the world ought to work.  We reposted each others' stuff from facebook regularly.

He married a woman who was smart and decent.  She has a kind heart.  They have two young boys.  He had just gotten his pilot's license and purchased a small plane.  He loves taking his boys up in the air.

He is a computer geek.  Just last week, we had him helping us resolve a computer issue in our office via IM.

If you ever read the comments on this blog, he was "library ghost."

He died last night.

Sudden and massive heart attack.  He's just a couple years younger than me.

I cannot even imagine what his dear family must be going through.  Boys to lose their father before they're men. A woman to lose the person in the center of her heart.  Because, already I can see the hole his death will leave in my life.