Last week, I received a phone call that no one ever wants to receive. On my way to class, my dad called me and told me that my lifelong neighbor and hall of fame high school baseball coach, Coach Harlamert, passed away suddenly last Wednesday morning. This news was very hard for me as my family and his family were very close growing up. He had heart surgery a couple months back, but the doctors said that he was doing great and on his way to recovery. No one was expecting his passing to say the least. The rest of the week was pretty hard for me as I was trying to grasp what happened. I can only imagine being in the family and having your loved one pass away suddenly. I just couldn't imagine.
The amount of people Coach H touched during his time on earth is breathtaking. This past Sunday I attended his viewing and the number of people that showed up to pay their condolences was quite extraordinary. The viewing hours were from one o'clock to seven o'clock. My family went at one o'clock and the line was out the doors, down the stairs of the back parking lot, and onto the grass lawn of the funeral home. As I said, I got there at one and I didn't get into the funeral home itself until about 3:30. The parking lot was so packed, that people started to park in the grass.
Later that night when I was driving back to school around 6 o'clock, there were still people waiting outside waiting to get in to pay their condolences. This made me feel very inspired by how many lives Coach H touched during his life. I will miss Coach H and his legacy will live on forever.
Noah, I am so sorry to hear about the loss you and your family are experiencing. Coaches don't just touch the lives of their athletes, they touch the lives of the entire community. I am sure Coach H poured his entire heart into your hometown. As much as coaches can frustrate athletes, they want to push athletes to be better people. Your coach's life will be forever remembered as a legacy, and I am sure he will always watch down on you proudly.
ReplyDeleteNoah, I am sorry to hear about coach Harlamert. I saw the amount of tweets on Twitter and saw the support and passion that the community and surrounding area had. Coaches are so important in building the lives of others and I cannot imagine how this must be, especially since he was more than a coach to you and other players. Coldwater lost a great person, and I am sure you are making him proud.
ReplyDeleteNoah, I am sorry to hear about your loss. Being close to Coldwater, I saw a lot of tweets and posts about it, and it made me feel sick. Losing a loved one is the worst pain in life. Stay strong, Noah!
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