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Like most
friends of Matt and Sherie, the first time you meet them you feel
this connection and they are people you want to be friends with (but
my story has a little twist). My
wife (Julie) and I met Matt and Sherie back in 1999 during the first
weekend of Matt’s and my self’s MBA program at Northern Illinois
University. It was the
first time you met your classmates as you were participating in a
team building weekend that began on a Friday night and went through
Sunday at an Accenture training facility.
The program
was considered intense so spouses were asked to come on that
Saturday and listen to the challenges their spouse would be enduring
for the next two years. After
the presentation the spouses met up with their student spouse for
lunch. Well my wife was
pregnant with our first child and Matt and Sherie had just brought
home Audrey so we naturally hooked up at the luncheon.
Well the four of us had a great lunch.
The first
day of class Matt and I sat next to each other and that seat became
your permanent seat for the entire first year.
Our first class was Accounting.
Every week there was a quiz testing you on the prior week
material. Matt did not
live up to his standards on that first week.
He was a wreck for the rest of the day (8 hours).
I remember telling my wife that nice guy we met, Matt, might
be a little crazy. That
following week I think Matt called me everyday at the office asking
questions preparing him for the next quiz.
That next Saturday I walk into class and sat next to Matt and
boy was he hyper just spitting questions at me.
I asked him to calm down and he said he was on his 5th
cup of Starbucks and he needed to do better on this quiz (It was
only a quiz!!!). Honestly
folks he was actually driving me crazy and I was worried about
sitting next to him for 8 hours every Saturday.
Sometime during that day I finally asked him if he had
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
He said he didn’t. Once again I told my wife that I was worried about sitting
next to Matt. The next
week Matt came to class and told me he told Sherie what I asked him.
He said that Sherie replied (I paraphrase)”Matthew, you are 2
weeks into the course and this guy has got you figured out.”
We both laughed and since he could laugh at himself I thought
he had to be a great guy. Before
I knew he liked to nickname people I had already nicknamed Matt, “OCD”.
There are so
many stories from our trips to Mexico and Paris, golf vacation and
New Years Eve parties to just those great nights sitting around with
libations. The above
story will always be the first I recall when talking of Matt or
thinking of him. It is
not a great story but it is the one where I met a true friend and
was blessed to be part of Matt’s life for the past 9 years and we
look forward continuing to be part of Sherie’s and the kids lives
and celebrating the life and memory of Matt.
Julie and I,
while blessed with our friendship with Matt and Sherie, have holes
in our hearts wish to say, “We miss you Matt.”
Dave and
Julie Bending
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