From Ted

how can you say goodbye to a friend?

how can you actually look at a friend for the last time, and know that it’s
truly goodbye? how can you find the words? how can you put years of tremendous
memories into one last look? how can you even begin to imagine a life without them?

i wish i had answers for all of those questions. i wish i knew how to feel, or what to say, or how to summarize such a fantastic friendship. I wish for a lot of things.... but it’s hard for me to wish for much more than to not have to ask those questions right now.

to say that greg was an amazing individual would be virtually the greatest understatement one could ever make.

it’s hard to measure the impact. hard to begin to imagine what our lives would be like had we not known his smile... had we not known his laugh... had we not known him. but, i think that it’s safe to say that there has never been anyone that lived life with a greater amount of passion, or enthusiasm than greg did.

and there never will be.

it’s impossible to try and put into words how much of an impact greg has had on my life. from the countless late night conversations on topics ranging from movies, to music and politics; to the early Saturday morning breakfasts before football games, where coffee cups were known to go flying off of tables as a result of his excitement... i always admired the way that greg lived life, in that he lived with a sense of optimism that few individuals will ever know. he approached every day with a staggering sense of hope in which it was impossible to spend even the slightest amount of time with him, without finding yourself looking at even the most insignificant thing a little differently. from topics of monumental importance, to bad service at a restaurant... greg had a quality within him, which allowed him to see the good in not only every situation, but in every person. and at the same time, he really understood how precious life really is, and that it’s not to be spent without a smile on your face.

he put so many things before himself. so many. he was more unselfish than anyone that i’ve ever known, and for that i had more respect for him than i have ever had for anyone. it was nothing for him to spend countless hours in a car just to spend a few minutes with a friend, and yet he would never even think about the drive. to spend a second with friends or family meant more to him than any price of making it possible, and for that i will always miss him. from road trips to watch a football game, to late night movies when he had a million other things to do, he always found a way to make time for his friends, and for his family. time for those that he loved. he never took that time for granted, and he never questioned it, simply because he knew what was important in life. and that never changed.

something that i will never forget, is what it was like to watch a ball game with greg. no matter who illinois, or the bears, or the cubs were playing, or how bad the score was, it didn’t matter, simply because in his mind we were going to win every game. "no problem" he would say. "no problem." because in his heart, he truly believed in the team, and in the fans, and in the game, and in life itself.. and his optimism was infectious. i know this is odd, but i will always have the fondest memories of the games in which our teams were losing. regardless of how much we were losing by, and even when all hope for a victory would be lost, i would look over, and there would be greg. literally, the only one that was still intently watching the game, and knowing deep down that as long as there was still time on the clock, anything was possible. and i would find myself beginning to believe right along with him, and those around me would begin to believe as well, and before we knew it, the team would be mounting a comeback, and going on to win, and greg would be there with the biggest smile you could ever imagine, and a
high five that would make your hand so sore it would swell. and i will always miss that. i will miss the passion that he had for everything that life had to offer. it was impossible to be near greg without getting swept up in the way that he lived his life, and i will miss getting to share in the joy that he took from the simplest of moments. greg was someone i always looked up to, and so many others did as well. he was an incredible presence. a quiet leader who lead by example rather than words, and he set standards so high, that all individuals will spend their lives trying to reach them, only to truly realize that he was in a league all of his own. i’ve never been more proud to have known someone, and been able to consider them a friend than i am with greg, and i’m so honored to have been able to share in his life.

it’s been said, and i know that it’s true..... that,

some people come into our lives

and leave footprints on our hearts

and we are never ever the same

i know that none of us will ever be the same for having known greg.

i’m so honored to have been able to call him my friend, and i will never
forget him.