Back in 1995/96 the internet was starting to take off like wild fire.  There was a small little company called AOL that brought an entire world of people as close as a click away.  Well, a few clicks, a lot of static & binging beeping noises, & one loud announcment of WELCOME, YOU'VE GOT MAIL away.  I quickly discovered there were chat rooms for every hobby & interest you can imagine.  I, of course, ended up in a room called "Center Ice".  Amongst all of the silliness that scrolled by in this chat room, I noticed there were a few people who actually knew a thing or 2 about hockey.  I was immediately drawn to one in particular.  She changed her name a few times but finally settled on one that really fit her bright personality.  And so began the friendship of CheriCola2 & HezPens68.  We chatted for hours and hours, days and days, weeks and weeks via Instant Messaging.  One day one of the kids (I believe it was Krista) messaged me from their own account & said "my Mom wants to know if it's ok if she calls you".  I said yes, numbers were exchanged, and so began the high phone bills!  We talked for hours and hours over the course of days and days - weeks & weeks  Hockey playoffs, life journies, hockey playoffs, our kids, hockey playoffs, life journies - you name it, we discussed it.  We eventually made plans to meet up.  Kerri rented a big SUV and drove the kids to CT & NY.  She dropped down into PA & I drove north from Pittsburgh & we met in the middle.  We were going to spend the weekend at an amusement park, but after we got settled into the hotel we discovered the amusement park had closed down.  So glad we were using the internet for what it was intended for - socializing! - certainly not information gathering or trip planning.  No Matter - we settled in with our cups of hot tea & spent the entire weekend talking about everything under the sun.  I had never before - and have never again - bonded with someone like I did with Kerri.  We kept the kids entertained, reveled in each other's company, & shared many laughs & tears that weekend.  And so began the many weekend trips back & forth across the OH turnpike to/from PA/MI.  I have so many memories that I will cherish forever.  Our tattoo session together, our trips to people watch at Cedar Point & the mall, incline rides in Pittsburgh, etc.  Kerri was beside me through so many things, good & bad.  She helped me through my Grandma's brain tumor diagnosis by sharing stories from when she had previously been sick.  She said she would play "Space Invaders" in her mind & shoot missles at the bad cells.  Her stories & her support helped me through a very tough time.  Over the years life eventually took me away from PIttsburgh & our visits ceased, but we never lost our bond.  More time than we both would like would eventually come between phone calls.  But as soon as we started talking I could hear her voice liven up, & in my mind I could see the twinkle in her eyes & feel the warmth of her smile.  I will never have another friend like Kerri.  She was one of a kind & perfect for me.  I'll always be able to hear her voice in my head, I'll always be able to see her smile in my mind, I'll always cheer for the Red Wings, I'll always hear her AOL "theme song" playing, I will always cherish our memories, & I will always love her.  I miss you, my Chica Cheri Cola.  ~ Hez ~

Many of you know that Kerri developed a bit of Agoraphobia in her last 8-9 years but most probably don't know what triggered it.  We had bowled together for several years in an annual tournament sponsored by my company (Detroit Edison).  We bowled on a team of 5 with some friends of ours, although there were dozens more friends bowling on other teams.  We always had a great time at these tourneys and usually had to drive up to Detroits northern burbs to get there.  In our last one we both rolled several practice balls before the start without incident.  Kerri was our first bowler on the team.  On her first ball (of the first frame) when she went to release the ball it stuck to her fingers and sent her flying onto the lane.  She lost her balance in the oil and fell hard.  Her left wrist was obviously badly broken and she also ended up with a broken base joint in her right thumb.  She was in tremendous pain but wanted nothing to do with an ambulance.  I loaded her in the car and took her to the nearest hospital ER a few miles away.  Typical urban hospital so the wait for a doc and pain meds seemed intermidable.  What surprised me was that her sense of embarrasment over what had happened in front of all our friends was even more traumatic to her than the actual pain.  She told me right then that she would never bowl again and I knew without a doubt she meant it.  [Anecdote:  Something associated with a Sears store really pissed her off back in 1984 or so and she swore she'd never shop Sears again.  She never, ever did! ] 
What neither of us knew was that the emotional trauma of that day would linger and cause her to see the outside world as a place of danger.  She only felt comfortable and safe in the house and was full of anxiety every time she had to leave it.  It was especially hard in the winter because she was terrified she would slip and fall on the ice.

I only provide this story to help many of you understand what happened and why she mostly stopped going on trips for visits.  You can also get an appreciation of how much courage she had when she did make these trips.  The trip to Eric's wedding was one of the hardest since it was fairly soon after the accident.   Later trips to Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota were also very hard for her, but she overcame and perservered. 

One little known fact about my mom is that she was a serious, hardcore online gamer.  Back in 2005 my mom discovered World of Warcraft.  Unlike many gamers, she was always willing to help out new players and give her friends anything they needed.  People always wanted to be on her team.  She advanced in the game faster than I did, but she would always be willing to go back through old stuff to help me catch up.  

One story in particular is very fond to me.  We were both getting a little bored with the most recent expansion since we had done most everything we could up to that point and were waiting for the next content patch so we could have new stuff to do. We decided to see if we could take on a serious challenge: go through one of the high level, five-person dungeons with just the two of us.  It took us days of taking two steps forward and one step back, but I can still remember the day we beat the final boss, just the two of us doing the job of five people.  We both cheered into our mics until all sound was just distortion, but we felt like we had really accomplished something awesome.  

About a year ago a new game came out that she was very excited about.  Once she was diagnosed, she realized she would not be able to play as much as she liked, so I offered to "play ahead" so I could help her catch up, return the favor for all the times she helped me in the other game.  The few times her symptoms allowed her to play, she didn't need much help at all.  We were both really looking forward to early March, where we could dive into this game together just like the old days.  Her hope and optimism inspired me.  

As I'm writing this story, I received an e-mail from a former gamer-friend of hers and he said: "she was the best, nicest player i have ever played with in my whole gaming career and i will forever remember her."  

My desire in sharing this story is to show how, in even her gaming life, my mom was talented, respected, loved, and left a positive impact in her wake.  Its as if she couldn't help but improve the lives of those around her.  

I was 4 when my sister was born. I don’t remember the day. When we were kids growing up, living in Navy housing we almost always had to share a room. We divided everything. Every one of our bedrooms had masking tape on the floor to designate my side from her side. I am sure that as kids we loved each other but we didn’t like each other at all. I broke her arm. She tried to flush me down the toilet (I am thankful for shoulders!) We grew up and grew apart. She got married. I got drunk. Her daughter was born in march I got sober in December. We started the slow process of healing and becoming sisters. She would listen to me and I would listen to her. We would laugh. She had the biggest imagination of anyone I have ever met; this helped her to also have the best humor ever! She was funny right to the very end. We laughed and cried on Friday. We told stories on each other and I told her that I had her back. She was grateful for that. She knew she was dying. She would have rather lived but knew that was not her lot. She accepted her destiny with dignity and grace… and humor. My sister crossed over on Sunday February 10, sometime in the morning hours. I was told that our Nana would be there to greet her and show her around. I told Kerri this on Friday. She was glad to be able to see Nana again. Kerri now knows the big secret that none of us know… what is on the other side. Thanks Kerri, for being my sister. I love you.

I don’t even know how to put into words how much Kerri meant in my life. She was quirky, sarcastic, honest, but most of all she was so incredibly loving. Kerri was my first role model in sarcasm which eventually made me find my own dry sense of humor. Anytime Kerri saw an opportunity to crack a joke, lighten the mood or embarrass someone (mainly Krista) well she didn’t hesitate. Ed and Kerri, Eric and Krista were a big part of my younger years. Any vacation we took always involved them, every summer was us going to Michigan or them coming to stay with us, Kerri and Ed were our second parents..I have so many memories …whether it was Disney World, Boblo Island or the bat that so creepily landed beside me and Krista on the swing set in their backyard, or the summers I stayed with them.. Kerri made you laugh no matter the situation she was the person who would sing TLC’s song Waterfalls even louder then all of us girls in the backseat..Which was pretty impressive I must say!  This last summer I was blessed to have arrived at a wedding and hear a voice call my name from a balcony above…I knew without even looking up who that voice belonged to, it instantly brought tears to my eyes as I heard her voice, as I hugged her tight. …I will forever cherish that night, as I got to reminiscence and catch up…She got to meet my family which was important to me, but more than that her words as she hugged me for the last time at the end of the night she whispered in my ear, “I’m so proud of you, and the person you’ve become.” Those words will stay with me forever …the last words and hug I will ever get from someone who had such a huge impact on my life.  Kerri I know that you will remain looking down upon us, probably making sarcastic remarks…And your probably not thrilled with all the attention, but you’ll have to deal with it this time, because this time we get to tell you how important you are to us for the last time. I love you and I will always miss you …

I have tried on a few different occasions to get a picture of Kerri - mainly because she hated having her picture taken and there weren't very many I could find of her.   I was desperately trying to put together a "family picture" wall grouping at Ron and Jen's house as a Christmas present..., but could not find any pictures of Kerri.  I even emailed Krista and Eric with my dilema.  So....., Eric (gotta love him) sends me a picture of his mom and dad, saying this is the only one I could find - sorry it's from like 1980!  I laughed so hard!  So from then on I was on a mission to try and get some pictures with Kerri in them.  Finally, at Ron and Jen's house, we were showing Ed and Kerri Ron's new motorcycle and I suggested they just try "sitting" on it.  Yes!  Picture taken - mission accomplished!  Ha!

February 10 1980 in Saratoga Springs, NY just after dusk.  It's snowing outside, beautiful big flakes adding to the 3 inches on the ground, trees, rooftops.  We got all bundled up and started the 5 block walk down Union Ave to Congress park.  Very large, ornate homes on both sides shining through the snow from the streetlights. No painting could have done it justice.  We arrived in the park and made our way to the Broadway side.  Hundreds of people were gathering and lining the boulevard.  The camaraderie and joyfulness was so infectious.  Soon we saw police lights bouncing off the snow-laden trees and the cheering started.  Two police cars came past us at slow speed going north.  Just then we caught a glimpse of the bouncing flame and soon the runner and her followers came into view.  Holding the torch up high and with a smile from ear to ear she came closer to us.  The cheering was almost painful to the ears but we could'nt help it.  She stopped right in front of us and did a quick waving spin, full of so much excitement and pride, and then continued on her journey.  Everyone was hugging everyone.  We took a moment for ourselves, tears in our eyes, and then started walking home.