Remembering Shad

It is with a very heavy heart I write this. Earlier today, I was “surfing the web”, going places I seldom go, and by accident or perhaps by Divine Intervention, I read that Shad had passed last week.

We were friends for over seventy-three years after meeting on the first day of kindergarten at Spring Lake Heights Grammar School in 1951. Having only lived in S.L.H. for two months I was so very happy to have a first friend and even happier when I found out “Bobby” lived just two blocks from my home. 

We stuck together through the 8th grade, and then “Bob” and I moved on to Manasquan High School for four more years. After high school, we continued on to the University of Sioux Falls (Sioux Falls College back in those days). This is when Bob became known as Shad.

We were on-and-off roommates during those years and made the trek between New Jersey and South Dakota more times than I care to remember. After college, Shad headed to California, and I returned to New Jersey. 

About two years later, Shad returned to N.J. with the intention of putting his B.A. in Business Administration to use. His heart just wasn’t into it, and he decided to place all his efforts towards a career in music. I moved from N.J. to several other parts of the country, pursuing a career in Food and Beverage Management. 

We kept in touch through the years, especially when I returned home to visit family. Shad was a guest at my sister’s “Wedding Party” several years ago. That was the last time I was in New Jersey and the last time I saw Shad. 

I have lived a long life and have very few regrets, but I do regret losing touch with Shad. Bon Voyage, my longtime friend, and pick up that wild guitar of yours and play a song for me up there in Heaven….. Jack Crow