Dear Beau,

Tomorrow is World AIDS Day.....a bittersweet day indeed...... 

I never wanted to know more about HIV/AIDS....but then it took you from us....I had to stop pretending it didn't exist. 

I miss you so much.  I'll spend a lot of time thinking about you.  There are so many things I wish I could tell you.  There are so many things I miss. I miss those jazz band/show choir bus trip.......not the rides, so much; but those long talks we had.  I'd so love to hear you sing again....I can't help but smile when I hear Donna Summer, the Doobie Brothers, or some of the others from our SSJH/SSHS days.  I miss your contagious smile....

but I also think about how happy you'd be because tomorrow is also Tommy and Shannon's eleven month wedding anniversary....and so, along with the bitterness of losing you, my dear friend, comes the sweetness of gaining Shannon, and a different perspective about HIV/AIDS and those whose lives have been affected.

I promise to continue to help carry your torch and keep your light shining. 

I love you, Beau.  I miss you.

 I simply cannot think of high school without thinking of Robert. My family moved to Steamboat in the summer before my sophomore year. I was on the cross-country team, and we were training before the school year started. Thank god, Robert was my first friend. Everyone on the team was so great to me, but Robert was an instant ally. I felt like he made it his mission to make sure I felt comfortable and welcome. He was always cheering the loudest at the finish line, which I appreciated since I was an average athlete at best. I looked forward to training with him, road trips with the team. (staying at Coach Shikles' cabin was especially fun!) He remained a constant and loyal friend the rest of my high school years.

He was so bright and shiny, it seemed there wasn't anything he couldn't do. He was smart, he was funny, he was kind, he was so motivated - I was amazed at how much energy he had. We laughed an awful lot. He could be such a goofball.

Like so many of my friends, we went our seperate ways after school, and kept in touch only sporadically.When he was at DU we would talk for hours on the phone and get all caught up, and then we would go for months without talking. A few years later we discovered we were living just blocks away from each other on Capital Hill in Denver. Before long I moved to AZ and we lost track of each other.

I dropped out of touch with a lot of people for a lot of years - but thanks to social networking, we all get to re-connect and reminisce and tell stories about where we've been. I'd like to think we would have a great time together, since we all have more perspective now and could talk more frankly about life and weed out what's not important. I wonder what it would be like to sit on a patio somewhere and have a few laughs.

I loved him very much, I miss him terribly, and I'm so grateful I knew him. He was kind to me at a very important time in my life, and changed me greatly. I can't imagine I had even a fraction of importance in his life. I wonder how many people feel that way about him! Much love to the Southalls and everyone else who cared so much about him. 

Kerry Aufderheide

       Guess you know there was a big multi-year reunion this weekend, Beau.  I'm sure you would have LOVED that......a party with all your favorite friends; dancing; laughing; recalling stories from high school.....

Miss you so much.   The world's just not quite the same without you. 

Martee Rule

SSHS, Class of '82

I'll always remember Junior High Football Sailors, game vs Rifle, opening kickoff, Robert was like a gazelle, ran past their whole team, and I got to flatten a loudmouth D-lineman :) Also in practice, met him in the hole head to head, man what a headache from that hit, think I still have brain damage... I was sooooo shocked. He and Rusty Chandler, my Fullback and Tailback, both in Heaven, Jesus needed a rushing attack!

I can relate to tragically losing my dear brother before his time. I don't see grief as "stages". It's not something we get "over", but we can get through it with support from loved ones. I hope this is one of the things that helps your family get through it.

I remember Robert's smiling face and his happy, bouncing walk down the school hallways. Always smiling...

Some of Beau's words to me from our 1979-80 yearbook -

      ".......I hope we can stay friends forever.  Be happy because that is all life is."

             All my love forever, 

Robert Beau Southall

Yes, Beau.........we WILL be friends forever..........because your friendship is one of my MOST treasured gifts and YOU are one of my most treasured blessings.  You helped make my life happy, and memories of you bring a smile to my heart, just  as we could always depend on you for that famous Southall smile.  :)  

I love you and I miss you so much. 

All my love forever.

I remember moving to Steamboat at start of 7th grade. I was a very nervous starting in a new school all the way across the country. It is never easy being a new kid at school. I remember some guys were picking on me in the hall, pushing me around and making fun of my height. When out of nowhere this guy jumped right in the middle of it, told the guys to back off and put his arm around me and said "hey don't worry about them, I'm Beau, whats your name". I saw that time and time again with Beau he was always sticking up for people and encouraged friendship between everyone. I can't remember him ever being mean or hurtful toward anyone. Now I teach high school students, and encourage all my students to be like the guy who stood up for a scared kid in 7th grade over 30yrs ago. Beau you may be gone from this earth but a piece of who you were while you were here lives on in many of us. I am grateful to have known you, even if it was for much to short of a time.

Where do I even begin.  I have so many memories of Robert and me.   Through out our four years of high school Robert and I seemed to be side-by-side in many activites.  If it wasn't yearbook, it was Student Council or track.

We spent many of times after school getting our layouts done for the yearbook, worried that we wouldn't get it done by the deadline.  The two of us would spend hours upon hours working side by side.  I can see us right now in his room with all the material spread out with Donna Summer singing "Hot Stuff", "Last Dance" or "MacArthur Park" in the background.  Then, there were those days that we would do our work at Brian Cavanough's house with Blondie singing away.  From Donna to Debra Harry, you sure had a wide range of taste in music.  His favorite page out of the entire yearbook was the spread on the major events of the year.  That was his pride and joy!

Our senior year, Robert was StuCo president .  Again, loved the time we had together there.  The summer before our senior year, the two of us along with Tammie Bowes and Jim Cloer headed down to Ft. Collins for a leadership camp.  Driving together down there, I really thought Robert was going to strangle Jim a few times with his silliness. Talk about opposites!  But, as usual, Robert was cool and collected and they became a great team to work with.

Robert was my rock when it came to track!  I can't think of any one person who was there standing at the sides of the track yelling at me harder or louder than Robert!  He motivated me every day to be the best I could be!  He cheered everyone on!  

Robert, you have inspired me to be the person I am today.  You accepted me for who I was.  Having you as my friend was a gift that I treasure to this day.  You brought sunshine into everyones' lives that you encountered.  I think of you daily and know you are looking down with a smile.  I miss you with all my heart and am thankful for the years we had.    

I fought face book for a long time and finally was on 1 week and got tagged by an old HS photo....  Thank God.  now  it is so nice to catch up with those years and people and this for Robert is one great thing because of that.  I am so sad I missed most  of this .  Yes, some people from HS will forever be ones you remember and ones most of us remember because of who they were and the good impact they made. I always-remember the funny look he gave me When i sung out of tune.. LOL i couldn't sing, just play drums.  Roberts intensity to achive i always seem to see in music, drama and speach  always  helped push me one more notch.   We seemed to rub each other to do better - like iron sharpens iron.   Great Thing to do Sharon Chesler. I love all you southhalls! you made a difference in my life!  Especially after i was parralized.  

From: Michele (Bair) Sprengle

The loss of a loved one is all to often something that we have to deal with. It is even more difficult when they are young. There have been many dear friends in our class that we have had to mourn, and Robert is one of these. I pray for continued healing and treasured memories. Blessings to all of you in the Southall family in this wonderful remembrance of Robert.

Beau,

It still just doesn't seem possible that you are gone.  For the last fifteen years the world has been without your amazing talents -  singing, acting, your creative eye to see color and art as only a few truly can; and  your natural athletic abilities. But most of all, WE've been without our best friend.  I don't know how you had such love and kindness to share, but you were a best friend to so many......and now we are all left with a huge hole that won't ever be filled. We miss you so.  We love you Beau.   You will live in our hearts and in our memories forever.

Thank you for leaving me such sweet memories to hold on to you. 

 I think back to our speech class, fall 1979.  We sat together every day in those 'lovely little red chairs' as you liked to call them. :)  We passed so many notes that semester, I wonder if learned anything at all from Mr. Gunderson?  You were always my focus point during my speech - my solid place to look for a smile, a reassuring look, a nod.  You always were ready with a hug after it was over, regardless of how horribly I'd performed.  Thank you for always being there to cheer and encourage. You were always there.  

Or the bus ride home after the state championship game that same fall.  We shed a lot of tears together.  You were so proud of your big brothers and LOVED having Richard there on the coaching staff as Tommy set a new state record.  You weren't afraid to be real.  You knew then that REAL men DO cry. 

Thank you for bringing joy, laughter and love to every encounter. Thank you for teaching us how to love unconditionally, though your actions. Thank you for being REAL.  Thank you for being a sounding board, a confidant. 

I'm a MUCH better person today because you were my friend. 

I love you and miss you Beau  - forever.

Sharon