I called him "Bubba" from the time I was old enough to talk. He was 15 years older than me, and although I loved him as a big brother, we only grew to be good friends in the past few years. He survived cancer twice and never let it slow him down. In the end, his body was just too worn out to keep up with his spirit.
There is a big part of Bubba here at Amethyst Acres. When we were building the facility in 2000, he drove up from his Williamsburg home every weekend and did all the wiring in our main barn and apartment. When the local county inspectors came for our final approval, they commented that they had not seen such fine quality work in many years. He put the same "perfectionist" effort into everything he did...much like our father before him. And just like our father, he was an outdoorsman with a passion for hunting and fishing. A groundhog did not stand a chance in his midst!!
He loved coming here to visit and enjoyed being around the horses. One of his final wishes was to have his ashes spread here at Amethyst Acres on a cliff overlooking the James River. We will honor his wishes later this year and celebrate his spirit. He left behind two beautiful daughters and a handsome son, all of whom he loved dearly and was extremely proud of.
He'll be there across the Rainbow Bridge to greet us when we arrive...but in the meantime, we will miss him.