A VERY SAD DAY

Most of you who read this probably know Shah, who is one of my best friends. This morning, Shah's partner of over 12 years passed away due to complications from heart surgery. His name was Doug Malandrino.

Douggie was one of those people that everyone liked. He was always a happy-go-lucky guy, fun to be around, and funny. People often went to him for advice, because he had a kind heart and a great outlook on things.

He was a bus driver for the Manchester, NH public bus system and he LOVED his job. He was a great storyteller, and would desribe in great detail the many characters (good, crazy, and otherwise) that rode his bus - and he loved them all. Honestly, I'd never met anyone who loved their job as much as Douggie did. And the passengers loved him equally as much. When they found out he was in the hospital, they sent a letter to the editor of the local paper saying that Douggie was in their prayers and they hoped he got well and returned to work soon.

But the greatest thing about Doug was how happy he made Shah. Shah is one of my best friends, transplanted here with no family from Malaysia almost 20 years ago. Doug WAS his family. He was an amazing presence of love and support in Shah's life.

His heart was not physically strong enough to carry on, but his spirit and kindness always will. We will miss you, my friend.

Note: for anyone wishing to send Shah condolences, you can send him an email to: shah@allaboutbuford.com.
- posted by Taunia @ 1:41 PM