Losing a Friend

Last week our community lost a great friend when we learned that Joe Bernotsky had passed away. While I have known Joe and his family for many years, it has been in the last three years that Joe and I became friends.

Joe B. as most people knew him, loved the community that he lived in. He wanted his community to be the best it could be. One of Joe B.’s gifts was networking, and one of his great joys was to connect people who might be able to help each other or finish a project together. I believe the reason he did this so passionately was because he wanted to help the community that he loved to be a better place. But he also wanted each of us to be better people.

 Joe B. was everyone’s greatest cheerleader. When I met with Joe, he would remind me of all the positive things I had done in my current position. He affirmed me as I was making positive changes in my job, because he knew that those changes helped to make the community that we both loved become  better.

Joe B. knew his strengths, but he also knew that he needed people around him who had strengths that he did not have. By doing this he helped to build a strong team at the Solanco Family Life Network. This group encompasses so much that Joe B. loved. The Network exists to help the community improve, and it helps those who are involved with the organization be better people.

In the last year, Joe did not seem as strong as he had been. He would sit instead of stand. But he was still buying new and old friends coffee, almost daily, at the Daily Grind as he continued to network and build relationships.

I mourn the loss of my friend Joe. The community mourns the loss of a dear friend. Joe’s family mourns the loss of a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend.

Joe, as I experience grief over the loss I feel, I want to learn from you even though you are no longer with me. Thank you for loving God and others so well during your life. You were a real example to me, and I will miss you.

We all process our grief and sadness in different ways. I often process through journaling. If you are struggling with your own grief journey, consider talking to a counselor who can help you during this difficult time. The counselors at New Hope Counseling Center are all qualified to see clients who are walking through a path of grief and sadness. Please give us a call if you would like to talk with someone.

by Deb Riddell
Executive Director, New Hope Community Life Ministry