Somehow, even though he passed away on May 29 and friends and family were invited to be received by his family at a memorial service on June 5, I didnโt find out until June 9 that my friend and Cross Creek resident Dick Strom, 61, had lost his battle with cancer. A friend asked me if I had heard Dick had passed at an event that day and, even though I knew he wasnโt doing well following multiple rounds of chemotherapy, I felt my knees buckle when I heard the news.
Kathy, his wonderful wife of 38 years, and Dick didnโt have much time to mourn the passing of their son Patrick, who died in a single-car accident in Hunterโs Green in 2012 before Dick was first diagnosed with cancer.
The Stroms and their friends started a nonprofit organization in Patrickโs honor in 2014, called โTrickโs Kicks,โ which has held two golf tournaments and other fund raisers, all with the purpose of donating โKicksโ (athletic shoes, which Patrick, who liked to be called โTrick,โ loved) to children in need.
I reported about the second โTrickโs Kicksโ golf event in October of last year and Dick was already battling cancer, where I first met the Stromsโ older son Michael and Michaelโs future wife Dee.
โCancer sucks,โ Dick told me, โand chemo is really hard on your body. But, Iโm not giving up. I have so much to live for.โ
His only โcomplaintโ or โquestion?โ
โIf youโre going to take me anyway, God, why did you have to take Patrick first?โ
One of the events Dick was on hand for was Michael and Deeโs wedding, but since then, he started posting on Facebook about the toll not only the cancer but also the treatments themselves were taking on him.
Even so, it feels like yesterday that Dick and I were coaching youth basketball against each other at Benito Middle School, when both of our younger sons were playing in a Saturday youth league.
I, of course, was among the most…letโs say vocal…of all of the coaches and Dick was one of the quietest (although some of his on-court expressions while biting his tongue were priceless), but somehow, we developed a mutual respect for each other.
I didnโt really get to know him, however, until he and Kathy lost Patrick, but the love he had for his entire family (including his new daughter-in-law) was just so obvious every time we spoke.
Dick was a Project Manager for KFORCE who managed installation of EMC Hardware for federal customers for many years. He also was a faithful and devoted member of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church and the consummate family man.
Itโs never easy for me to say goodbye to someone, especially a true fighter and amazing man like Dick Strom, but itโs even harder to not express my feelings about it here.
Rest in peace, Dick. I know your only consolation is being reunited with Patrick.