My Tribute To SFCannon

****Bob/SFCannon****




As most of you know, Bob and I were very close friends for almost 4 years. I say I owe my life to him, and today I believe that to be true. Were it not for him, I would NOT be where I am today. You see for many years I tried the *not drinking* life on my own, without the help of Alcoholics Anonymous. I did NOT drink, but I'll tell you what, I was NOT sober either!!!! Bob taught me about a Program that could help me to find peace within me, serenity that I was so desperately seeking, and he talked of this *fellowship* that would grow up around me. I had no idea what he meant when he talked of the fellowship part, but the rest sounded good to me. So here I am, 4 years after the fact, and I have what he told me about. I have a program today that I truly believe has Saved my life! As for the fellowship part, I understand that part now, and I honestly don't know how I ever lived without it in my life. The day Bob passed away, I had friends from all over the United States Call me, my AA family here called me, they supported me. Not only for me, but for their love of Bob, another Alcoholic. For those of you that only knew him by SFCannon, and didn't have the opportunity to share one on one with him, I'd like to tell you a little about who he was, and what he enjoyed in life.



Bob was born & raised in San Francisco, and you'd better not call it San Fran, or Cisco either, he hated that!! LOL He was very proud of his city, and loved it there. He was an AVID 49ers and Giants Fan!!!! If it had to do with San Francisco, he loved it! My first trip to San Francisco there was NOTHING he didn't show me. He liked to say I had the best tour guide in the city! I'd have to agree with him.



When I first met Bob, one of the things I liked most was that he seemed to care about everyone. I now believe that was something he learned in Alcoholics Anonymous. It was another gift he passed on to me :) I might want to correct that, he might not have liked everyone, but he didn't hate anyone! That's a much better way of putting it. I'm sure there will be people that see this that will say I'm biased, or that I didn't see *all* of Bob. I know that I saw the side of him that My HP has chosen to let me see. If that's denial I'll buy it! He was a wonderful man that loved his family, and friends. To see the sprakle in his eyes when he talked of his daughters would put a smile on your face. When he talked about Stacey getting married, and how proud he was of her. When he told me that she was trying to get pregnant and that he couldn't wait to be a Grandpa!! Bob became very close to Jackie (my daughter) after my divorce, and her estrangement from her father. Bob called her "His Little Earth Sister" and she called him "Her Earth Brother", but what she told others was that he was just like a father! He would call her to tell her he was proud of a test she'd passed, or grades she'd made, or a contest she'd won. He'd remind her that no matter how her dad treated her that she was special. To me Bob was always there to help someone else, to reach his hand out. He had a heart of Gold, and for those that knew him as I did, I don't believe you could find one person to disagree with that statement. :)



During his first year of sobriety he used all of his excess energy to build a cannon. I'm not much on stuff like that, but I do know it worked, and it was a replica of something or other. You'll see pictures of that on the next page. He loved bicycling, and had riden in some races, not sure about those either. I do know he rode in the Death Ride or something like that. He would bicycle all over San Francisco, and let me tell you something, I had a hard time driving a car on those hills, and can't imagine getting up em with my legs. LOL When he visited here in Indy he would ride my bicycle also. He had a route he'd ride daily, about 4 1/2 miles I'd guess. Along that route he found a *quiet* spot. He called it his "field of dreams" It was a Sycamore Tree that grew on the side of the road, right next to a Huge Corn Field. He'd sit out there and do his yoga, and meditate. Bob took very good care of his body, he said he was trying to make up for all of the years he'd abused it with Alcohol and drrugs. He was into weight lifting, and the last year and a half he was very much into Yoga. He was even in school to become a Yoga Instructor.



Bob Loved the outdoors, and gardening, and flowers of all kinds. He was amazed with Indiana. He'd never really seen 4 seasons. I think if I were to have to pick the one he liked the most it would be the fall. In San Francisco, the have spring, but they don't have a fall with all of the colors like we do here. We have a place here Called Brown County, and people come here in the fall from all over the Country to see the colors. He was here for that, and to watch someone experience that for the first time, is so kewl!!!!! He did like to make fun of us here in Indiana because we have some Ski Slopes (he said the Bunny hills) out west were bigger than our slopes! I could go on and one about the things he liked outdoors, but that would take forever.



A Very good Friend of Bob's, FOBW from #AA put a memorial up to Bob after he passed away, and I knew that I wanted to do the same thing, but I had to let some of the pain of losing ones best friend leave me first. What I'm finding here is that I don't know that pain ever leaves. It just becomes bearable! The more I write, the more I realize I miss my best friend. I've been working on this page for almost a week now, and it has brought back so many memories, most wonderful, some not, but all very important to who I am today! I said I owe Bob for who I am today, but that's not really right, I must thank my HP *who I choose to call God* for putting such a wonderful person in my life. Bill W's story is called "Pass It On" and in my very humble opinion that is what Bob did, he passed it on to me, he showed me what it was like to have a friend, to be a friend, for that gife I am truely grateful! Before I go over the edge here, I'm going to stop this part of it. We'll go to the next page now to see some pictures. Things I know he loved, and would love to share.



Things He Liked