some of you who read this may know my sweet friends Rich and Marianne Lloyd. they lived in texas up until about 2 years ago when Rich got his dream job and they relocated to kansas city. they have been 2 of my dearest friends for the last 7 years or so, and have helped shape me into the person i am today... back in september, Rich was diagnosed with gioblastoma multiforme- a brain tumor. 8 or so months later and countless flights between kansas city and salt lake, where he has been being treated at the Huntsman Cancer Research Facility, Rich passed away last friday after his second bout with pneumonia. Rich was an incredible inspiration to so many and even kept a blog with his thoughts, pictures, journal, etc, for everybody to keep up with his journey. his incredible optimism was constantly up;ifting, and he will be greatly missed by not only his sweet wife and 3 young boys, but all who knew him. i'm posting the link to his blog, his journal is truly touching and a great read. i'm also posting a link to an audio file of Rich's definition of "LIVE RICH", his motto throughout his cancer and the theme of fundraising efforts that have brought in over $30,000 for cancer and specifically, GBM, research. if you know rich, the audio may be hard to listen to, and there are parts that may be hard to hear. anyone who has heard Rich speak (our early morning seminary class, when he taught sunday school, giving firesides, or even personal conversations between friends) knows what an eloquent and incredible speaker Rich was, and this 15 minutes that he recorded just a couple weeks before his passing doesn't fall short of any expectations set by his prior testimonies and lessons. Rich's victory (not tragedy) over his cancer is a great reminder for all of us to LIVE RICH whether through trials or in everyday life. i love this man and his wife and kids, and i'll always keep the memories i made with them close to my heart- swimming at the stone oak pool, playing in their huge back yards, chats in the kitchen when rich would come home from work, the fun night we crammed him, mar, the three boys, and myself into a tiny hotel room with one bed and one pull out couch for the san antonio temple dedication, the beautiful night last october when we got to see Rich baptize David in slc... i know i still have many memories to make with Mar and the boys, and i only hope that a part of Rich has been passed on to me as well so that i can continue striving to be like him and be one of the many to portray the lessons he taught me on to his boys as they grow. i love you Mar, D, Jamers and Josh!
Rich's Blog:http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/richlloyd
Audio file: http://www.zshare.net/download/11383768ab0736cd/
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