eulogy.

I am sitting here trying to write down my feelings about my cousin…my best friend…my brother, Tony, and they are beyond words. Tony is not a person you can sum up in just a few minutes. I could write ten pages just about the brightness in his eyes when he smiles, and another ten on the impact he had when he entered a room. Just the sound of his voice or the smile on his face has been able to put a smile on mine. I know he had this effect on people.

Having only a nine-week age difference and a close knit family aided in creating a love and bond between us that is unmatched. I mean, we experienced everything together: Our first words, first steps, first fears, our first business ventures selling lemonade, our first losses, first loves, first heartaches, everything. We have been together through it all, and has always been the person I could confide in, especially over the past few years. We both have grown up and matured. I found us having conversations about life, goals, beliefs and dreams. Tony was always ready to give advice, and never ready to judge. I respected his words. Whatever he had to say was thought out and from the heart. Even his dad found himself just listening and learning a lot from him.

Tony was fearless. He was even brave enough to wax his armpits regularly. Throughout my life, he has been the one pushing me to do things I would never dream of doing. Weather it was conquering my fear of heights by making me climb the ski-jump or jump off the EK bridge, or just something like doing a front-flip on the trampoline. He believed in himself and everybody else, that is why he pushed me. He knew I was just being a wimp. His confidence was contagious, and he really could do anything he set his mind to.

Tony’s enthusiasm was infectious and his love for life unparalleled. When he walked into a room, he lit it up. There was never a dull moment with him around… He always had to be doing something, always had to be living.

I love everything about Tony: his honesty, confidence, sense of humor, his spirit. He really was one-of-a-kind, and I’m sure all of you know that. I know Tony left lots of things undone and others that he never had a chance to start, but I promise I will let Tony live through me. It is a way of showing my thanks for everything he has given and done for me. Let us not say Good-bye to Tony today, but that we will see him later, and he can live on in our hearts and memories until then. Tony said it best “Good-byes are inevitable, but I will see you again, and never forget the simple fact that I will always love you.”