wow, who knew?

Over 200 people turned out for the candlelight vigil! Amazing. Eddye is a quiet guy who definitely never sang his own praises, so it was unreal, even to those close to him, how many lives he affected.

There were heaps of neighbors, friends, and relatives, but kids made up a huge number of the crowd. Eddye was a great soccer coach. It was his passion and he always went above and beyond, even for neighborhood teams of 5-year-olds. I mean how many people can even remember the name of their coach when they were 5? He coached his older boys' teams over the years and also a high school team of international students. At the vigil, the high school students asked everyone in the crowd who had ever been on one of Coach Eddye's teams to gather around. Knowing that Eddye always encouraged younger siblings to come and join practices too, my sister asked anyone who ever practiced with one of Eddye's teams to also join in, and the crowd of soccer players pretty much doubled. They did team cheers for Coach Eddye. What a tribute to a man passionate about his soccer.

It was an evening that will always mean so much to Lisa and her children. Knowing that Eddye made such a difference has to be a comfort to them. The kids should be very proud of their Papa.

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Eddye's parents and brother arrived from Columbia last night. It seemed Eddye was fading--taking fewer and fewer breaths each minute. But somehow he's still holding on. The doctors just don't get it. He has too much to leave behind. Only his heart and his will remain strong.