My friend Paul died this morning. I’m not sure if it’s a shock. It’s a surprise. He’s been battling cancer for years, but it’s looking like this isn’t cancer-related. This seems to have been associated with a pain that he’s been complaining of for the past week that his doctors have been brushing off because they couldn’t find anything… now they’re pointing to complications with his digestive system and kidneys as the reason for his sudden seizures and ultimate untimely death. Something that might’ve been caught if they’d been more thorough? I don’t know. Dave kept saying “you should MAKE them give you an MRI…”
Paul was a bladder cancer survivor, making the hard choices that my father had refused to make and he got a couple more years than my Dad because of those choices. He complained plenty, but I don’t think he ever second-guessed those choices and watching his appreciation of Life and music and the people around him made me wish my Dad could’ve seen his options more clearly…
Paul got a visit from his grandkids not too long ago and we both wondered at how strange it was for him to be referred to as a grandfather. He used to sell church pews for a Living. He used to be a pirate of the Pirates Royale. He and his wife performed as Calico Jack and they’d just gotten back from a couple of performances up north – and by all accounts had performed a couple of times this weekend before he asked to be taken home because he was feeling poorly…
I feel terrible for his son Paul and his wife Janie – and I’ll miss him muchly. Paul Diblasi III has been a regular part of my Maryland-area weekdays for some five years – and I’m stunned to be coming into the store today without him. Slowly the news is filtering out. We’re getting customers coming in to express their condolences. More customers coming in and asking for him.
Tonight I’ll go run my open mic and that’s probably the best thing I can do. Breaking the news to Rowan will be unfortunate – but I think we’ll raise a glass to him tonight. Rowan will know what whiskey is right to drink. He knows things like that.
We’ll miss you Paul.
