Bro

Unless you've come across this blog by accident, if you're reading this, you probably already know that my brother Dean died two weeks ago tonight. Many others have spoken or written eloquently about his life, in particular those who spoke at his memorial service and the article that the Winona Daily News ran on that day (Thursday, March 8th).

Dean's nickname was Bro. Many people called him that: most of my friends, some of his, even my parents once in a while (which was kind of weird, if you think about it). Even the children of friends, who refer to me as Uncle Kootch, would call him Uncle Bro. It was an appropriate nickname 'cause he seemed like everybody's brother. But I was pretty proud that he was my flesh-and-blood, DNA brother. If he hadn't been my brother, he would have been one of my best friends in this world.

I loved him, and I will miss him.