Casey Baron Barber

What can I say about my big brother? He was the greatest man that I have ever known. Gentle, yet stong. Always giving; never taking!! He died at age 29. He always told me growing up that he would not live to be 30 years old. He would always laugh after he said it. I guess somehow he knew. Casey and I were very close in age. We were 14 months apart. He was always the one who got to do everything first. I was always so jealous as a child. Funny how things change. I wish he was here to do things first now. He died from sudden cariac arrest. One minute he's here and fine, the next GONE FOREVER. I still can't believe it. He never had any children, although he loved his girlfriends kids as if they were his own. I want him to be remembered as the strong man that he was. Working from sun up to sun down, taking care of his family and loved ones, never complaining, always caring. He was the one person who throughout my entire life would always tell me how beautiful I was. He was definately a "mama's boy" from the start. I never really understood the concept until I had a son. Casey loved his family without prejudice. He grew up into a man natured just like his father. Stubborn, yet strong. Assertive, yet understanding. A whole lot of bark, at times, with very little bite. I always imagined me and Casey as those siblings that grow old living across the street from each other, or ending up living in the same retirement home and sitting on the porch smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee, laughing at the people that went by. I feel like I have lost my life as I've known it. Casey is still here with us. I feel his smile when I hear something funny. I feel his touch when I am sad. A tribute to a man that everyone loved, a man that I would be proud for my son to grow up to be.