Carrie,

I’ll give you some brief history of how I know Jeff.  Most obvious, we both worked at Gow.  I still remember the first time I met him, our current headmaster was retiring and he was having a dinner in his honor.  The school had just lost their current chef.  Jeff pulled off the dinner with great success and I remember making a point in telling him how good the food was.

Time goes by and Jeff and I slowly started becoming better friends.  I wasn’t always sure about his sense of humor, but it slowly grew on me!  Not only did he win me over, but the entire school!  I have been at Gow for 16 years, and he was the first chef that not only prepared good food, but interacted with the students, faculty and staff!  The school fell in love with him!  I think on a few occasions Sage wanted to move him, but the school was always very supportive and let Sage know we wanted him here!  So Jeff, Matt and I developed a strong bond, friendship.  We got to the point where we couldn’t go a day without seeing each other, busting balls or just chatting about whatever.  We began e-mailing on a regular basis (I still have e-mails from Jeff…can’t bring myself to deleting them).  My wife kids that she won’t open any of them, due to their sometimes colorful nature!  Anyway, the three of us got VERY tight!

Nov. 15, 2008 my best friend Matt is killed in a work related accident at Cameron, I’m devastated.  I remember my next day of work, I went into the dining hall for lunch everyone knew Matt and I were best friends.  They were all so nice to me.  I went to leave and saw Jeff in his office.  I stopped to talk to him, he as well, was devastated.  We talked for an hour or more.  He just kept telling me how bad he felt for Matt’s kids (they were like 4yrs and 6 months).  We were both still in shock, …it was surreal.  How could Matt be gone?  He was our age.  Jeff and I became better friends through the loss of Matt.  January 27^th, Paul calls me on the radio, “Rick, I need a ride back from the dining hall.”  I pick Paul up and he tells me what had happened to Jeff.  He doesn’t paint an optimistic picture.  I think I can’t possibly lose another best friend in a matter of months!

Leading up to Jeff’s last days, I knew things weren’t good.  Brad breaks the news to all of us in the dining hall, without the students present.  I felt like a soldier in a war who had just lost everyone in his platoon in an ambush.  Why them and not me?  Jeff and I were the same age.  I had a certain amount of bizarre guilt.  I was happy to be alive, but felt so bad for Jeff’s family and Matt’s family.  I was alone.  No more e-mails from my buddies.  They were gone. FOREVER!

Time heals.  When I think of Matt and Jeff now, I don’t cry or get sad (that much), but cherish the memories.  Recall stories and retell them over and over.  At least once a week when I crack open a Sam Adams, I silently toast to two fallen comrades by raising my glass.  To Jeff and Matt, I say to myself.  No one else needs to know what I’m doing, just me.  It’s a toast that someday, we will all share a drink…together.

So the photo!  We had an underground drain fall and Paul and I were quit involved with repairing the line.  Jeff shows up, he’s harassing us.  Next thing I know he has a camera and is taking photos, I remember thinking,  "Really Jeff, you don’t have anything else better to do?"  Two days later Paul receives the attached photo in his work mailbox.  We laughed so hard!!  The photo has been at our shop ever since!  We stumble across it every now and then, and laugh every time.

I just wanted you to know how much I thought of your brother and what he meant to me in my life.  Whenever I talked about Jeff I always say he was my friend and co-worker.  His friendship to me was first and foremost.

Rick

(Picture is tough to see on this post - I'll add it to my FB account.  CLF)

Submitted by Rick Hausauer