SOMEONE DIED SATURDAY MORNING
BY GENE KIRK
He wasn't a very impressive person in the end. He was
enormously overweight, diabetic, and had a
bad heart. He lived off the system, had no money, and had
alienated his whole family. He was
totally alone except for a few friends who lived in the low
income facility with him. He was so alone
that there wasn't even anyone to place an obituary in the
local paper. What would be the reason? No one
cared anyway. He died and was cremated and his ashes are
somewhere, who knows where?
But it wasn't always like that. As a matter of fact, his
story was sort of like a fairy tale. He was born in
Berwind, W.Va. on May 11, 1948. Berwind was one
of those isolated coal mine camps tucked away in McDowell County. It was full
of rough and tumble coal miners of all nationalities and his parents were a
part of that hardy breed. He was a mediocre student and took a lot of flack from the other kids because he was effeminate. You can well imagine what it was like to be
gay in the fifties and in a school full of hillbillies who looked for any reason
to kick someone's butt. I'm not casting aspersions because I was born there too
and was just as stupid at that age. However, I began defending him at an early age and did it
right up through high school where I was suspended for clobbering a guy who was
picking on him. Well, maybe it was more for elbowing the male teacher who grabbed me from behind.
Nonetheless, he was in misery until he graduated. then a remarkable story began to unfold. He attended a cosmetology school and discovered that he had an amazing ability with hair. He
began working with a local beauty shop and in a short period of time began
entering contests and winning them all hands down. Soon he opened his own salon
in Daytona Beach, Fl. and his shop became the "in" place to go. He continued his success by graduating to national contests and accumulating huge trophies which he proudly displayed in his
ever expanding business. His fame spread to the entertainment business and movie stars who were shooting new movies in Florida began to call him to do their hair for the movie sets. Universal Studios in
Orlando responded to the actors' requests and even tried to hire him to take over their cosmetology dept. He was on top of the world. Until, he took a misstep.
Somewhere, during the course of his success, he was introduced to cocaine. Thus began the demise of a
great career. Over a period of time, he lost the drive that had sustained him all those years and decided
to close the salon in Daytona. He was hired by Daytona Beach
Community College as the head of their cosmetology dept. but, over time, lost
that position too. The demon took him to the bottom. When he ran out of money, he began borrowing from his brother and his Aunt, until they no longer wished to help him support his
habit.
My first cousin, James Michael Kirk, died July 19,
2008, age 60, Destitute and alone. My Aunt Jo had
visited him in the projects not long ago and found him with no food and
asking for money. She went to the grocery store and stocked his cabinets. She knew that she should not
give him money, even though he was swearing that he had kicked
the habit. No one trusted him anymore.
I am writing this as his obituary. I think that it is a far
better memorial than someone just listing all of his survivors and giving his
birth and death dates. If just one person reading this can turn their life
around then his death becomes meaningful and not just another
wasted life. Show this to someone you may know who needs help and someday you may not be writing that
"Someone Died Saturday morning".
SOMEONE DIED SATURDAY MORNING
BY GENE KIRK
He wasn't a very impressive person in the end. He was
enormously overweight, diabetic, and had a
bad heart. He lived off the system, had no money, and had
alienated his whole family. He was
totally alone except for a few friends who lived in the low
income facility with him. He was so alone
that there wasn't even anyone to place an obituary in the
local paper. What would be the reason? No one
cared anyway. He died and was cremated and his ashes are
somewhere, who knows where?
But it wasn't always like that. As a matter of fact, his
story was sort of like a fairy tale. He was born in
Berwind, W.Va. on May 11, 1948. Berwind was one
of those isolated coal mine camps tucked away in McDowell County. It was full
of rough and tumble coal miners of all nationalities and his parents were a
part of that hardy breed. He was a mediocre student and took a lot of flack from the other kids because he was effeminate. You can well imagine what it was like to be
gay in the fifties and in a school full of hillbillies who looked for any reason
to kick someone's butt. I'm not casting aspersions because I was born there too
and was just as stupid at that age. However, I began defending him at an early age and did it
right up through high school where I was suspended for clobbering a guy who was
picking on him. Well, maybe it was more for elbowing the male teacher who grabbed me from behind.
Nonetheless, he was in misery until he graduated. then a remarkable story began to unfold. He attended a cosmetology school and discovered that he had an amazing ability with hair. He
began working with a local beauty shop and in a short period of time began
entering contests and winning them all hands down. Soon he opened his own salon
in Daytona Beach, Fl. and his shop became the "in" place to go. He continued his success by graduating to national contests and accumulating huge trophies which he proudly displayed in his
ever expanding business. His fame spread to the entertainment business and movie stars who were shooting new movies in Florida began to call him to do their hair for the movie sets. Universal Studios in
Orlando responded to the actors' requests and even tried to hire him to take over their cosmetology dept. He was on top of the world. Until, he took a misstep.
Somewhere, during the course of his success, he was introduced to cocaine. Thus began the demise of a
great career. Over a period of time, he lost the drive that had sustained him all those years and decided
to close the salon in Daytona. He was hired by Daytona Beach
Community College as the head of their cosmetology dept. but, over time, lost
that position too. The demon took him to the bottom. When he ran out of money, he began borrowing from his brother and his Aunt, until they no longer wished to help him support his
habit.
My first cousin, James Michael Kirk, died July 19,
2008, age 60, Destitute and alone. My Aunt Jo had
visited him in the projects not long ago and found him with no food and
asking for money. She went to the grocery store and stocked his cabinets. She knew that she should not
give him money, even though he was swearing that he had kicked
the habit. No one trusted him anymore.
I am writing this as his obituary. I think that it is a far
better memorial than someone just listing all of his survivors and giving his
birth and death dates. If just one person reading this can turn their life
around then his death becomes meaningful and not just another
wasted life. Show this to someone you may know who needs help and someday you may not be writing that
"Someone Died Saturday morning".
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