i'll never forget!!!

carol and fam.....i just want u to know that i will never forget..........my thoughts go to him often......still hard to believe.........i do miss him so........"oh death, where is your sting?".......i could answer that question........

God bless u family for sharing him with me .......i luv u and his memory much.....

take care,
whitlow

Great pic...

This is one of my favorite pictures of my sister Kim and Dad. Kim, my nephews, Mom, Dad, and myself were playing at a park in Salem a couple of years and I took this one of Kim and Dad watching the boys play. I absolutely love the lighting, how the sun is shining behind them- so beautiful! They both look almost angelic!




Here's the family at the park!! What a great day!

Good times...

Here's a great picture of Dad and my nephew Jack! Obviously, they're chatting about something. Dad loved his grandchildren!!

More posts to come...

We miss him too...

Hello Erin,
Mike and I stop by here at times. We both miss your Dad very much. He taught us both so much about love and family and he is with us every day. We have recently taken in 2 foster boys ...ages 15 & 17 and it was one of those times that Mike really wanted to talk to Rick about what we were doing. But we know he would be proud. The tribute at the Window World Reunion was wonderful. To hear Rick's voice was a blessing. I won't lie, it was hard and we all cried, but it reminded us how incredible Rick was. The trips just aren't the same without your Mom and Dad. We will be in Roanoke in a few weeks and I want to see your Mom. I think about her all the time. I know I am not good at writing, but I wanted to let you know that we love and miss your Dad and he will never be forgotten. If you want to email me, my email is windowworldhunt@bellsouth.net
Take Care,
Melissa Edwards

WE ALL ALWAYS READ

DANA & I WISH YOU COULD HAVE ALL BEEN AT THE WINDOW WORLD FAMILY REUNION THIS PAST WEEK. THE TRIBUTE WAS WONDERFUL! WE WERE GIVEN TIME TO REMEMBER & REFLECT. NOT A PERSON WAS LEFT UNTOUCHED BY THE VIDEO PRESENTED. PLEASE KNOW THAT YOU ALL ARE THOUGHT OF EACH DAY BY THE WINDOW WORLD FAMILY MEMBERS. I HAVE NEVER HEARD SUCH A TRIBUTE OF SILENCE BY SUCH A WONDERFUL GROUP OF PEOPLE FOR A PERSON THEY ALL STILL LOVE AND THINK OF AND PRAYER FOR.
PLEASE KNOW THAT YOUR FAMILY IS STILL IN OUR THOUGHTS & PRAYERS.
SHARON & DANA DEEM

High School.....

Here's a picture of Dad during his high school years. And yes, they've formed a pyramid- how cool is that. Dad is on the bottom left of the pyramid. My Aunt Jackie, Dad's sister is on the top right. (Zane- can you find yourself!?) Hehe!

I know Dad had such a great time with his Memphis buddies; I've heard so many fun stories. A couple of years ago, Dad's high school gang got to meet up in Memphis and have a mini-reunion, which I heard was wonderful. I'm so glad he got to do that before he passed!



Here's another one...Dad is on the far right! Thank God for good times in Memphis! =)

Thanks...

Thank you so much Sherry and Zane for commenting and posting, you don't know how much I appreciate it! Life has been so different without Dad...not worse, just different. There have been so many times these last few months where I've gone, picked up my phone, and tried to call him. For example, my husband and I live in the Blacksburg, VA area and as all of you know, a terrible tragedy occured this past April 16th at VA Tech. Well, that was only about a month after Dad had passed away and you know, I actually picked up the phone and went to dial him. I wanted to tell him all about it. I wanted to let him know I was ok. I wanted to talk about everything that had happened and see what part of the country he was in then and how he was doing. But it was the weirdest feeling to remember at that moment that I couldn't talk to him, that I couldn't hear his voice. You know something else...it was at that moment that I talked to him anyway. I told him I was ok and I told him about everything that happened. AND I knew for a fact that he was OK, that he was safe, not here on this earth, but in a much better place. A place without the violence that happened on April 16, a place without wars overseas, a place filled with joy! Dad was ok and he knew that I was too. Praise God for that!!

The picture above is from this past Christmas. The family: Matthew, Tricia, Mom, Dad, and myself had gone to downtown Roanoke for our family's annual Christmas trip to the market. This pic was taken at the Hotel Roanoke after we had viewed the Christmas tree display that the city puts on every year. This was a couple of weeks before the Collins family came to a realization about Dad and his health. I thank God for these memories, the happiness my family has shared together and the love that we have. HE is so good!!