Luke of the Neighborhood

<a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaworskihouse/3593678732/” title=”Picture of Luke on Flickr”><img src=”http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3329/3593678732_a4b112407f_m.jpg” width=”240″ height=”180″ alt=”Luke Cardenas” /></a><br />n<br />nLearned just this afternoon that an older neighbor of ours passed away.<br />n<br />nLuke was always seen taking his walks throughout the neighborhood. He would always stop and chat, share neighborhood news (and gossip) and generally be one friendly fellow. He was certainly in his 80s, but when you’d see him make his way around the blocks and speak with him, you’d think he was in his early 70s.<br />n<br />nWe knew that he was having some health troubles over the past year or so, he had mentioned that he was in the hospital for a week or so while they fixed him up. But I never got the exact reason he was in.<br />n<br />nToday, we learned through the neighborhood grapevine that he passed away recently. Apparently, his gardener learned about it and shared the news with a neighbor, another gardening client. The news then quickly spread down the street. I looked at the obituary section in today’s paper, and he was certainly mentioned: Lucas Cardenas.<br />n<br />nThe saddest part about this was that his mention in the obits was the smallest I had ever seen. It only mentioned his name and where and when the services would be. Absolutely nothing about his life.<br />n<br />nAfter work, I took a detour home and visited the cemetery, a familiar place since my dad is there too. Saw his headstone, next to his wife, who passed, according to the inscription, in 1996. He had been interred just a few hours before, and his side of the stone did not yet have his date of death.<br />n<br />nLuke, we only knew you from your wanderings around the neighborhood, and only about 10-15 minutes at a time. But it felt like I knew you a really long time, and you were a good friend, a staple of our corner of the world. We’ll miss you, buddy.