An old friend is gone.

I was more than happy some 10-years ago when my job reached the "at risk" stage after some 38-years, and I was later "allowed to leave"!!
Some of my staff/workforce, many of them long term employees like myself, became so much more than mere fellow workers over many of these years. Genuine whole family friendships developed, most of which have lasted a lifetime now.
However, as life & time passes and interests diversify we meet socially less & less and communication finally dwindles to an exchange of Xmas cards with a scant few words of what's been happening in our lives over the previous year !
Silly, silly mistake ! Why do we let this happen ?,, for don't we always end up regretting it ?.,., For no good reason we lose a whole set of friends .,., as if we had a superfluousity of them !
Then one day, completely out of the blue it all comes home to roost, back to bite you on the bum, and with such a vengence !
A good friend and old colleague suddenly and unexpectedly dies. Oh !
Not only that but I now find he's been fighting his killer, cancer, for some 3 or 4 years ,, and of course had I known I would certainly have made a point of visiting .,., How could you not visit a guy who can get into a party mood like this ?
Even worse, his wife & 2-boys were understandably devastated and I have only now found out that his funeral was last week.
A sad news day indeed so today I say a belated and heartfelt goodbye to one of nature's good guys, Cheeri Alex, so sorry to have missed your passing but we'll always have fond memories !