Goodbye to a Beloved Friend

I'm sorry to inform you all of the events of April 23, 2009.

Last night Rusty took the motorcycle to work, as he often did on such beautiful days. Around 7:45 p.m., he took his usual route home from work; Highway 235, then south on 63rd St. The sun had just set, and as he passed Park Ave, he was unable to avoid a deer crossing the road.

It still doesn't seem real.

The rest of this is my testimony and some rambling. What we know so far is that he was wearing his helmet, and the paramedics say there wasn't a scratch on his body. His mom called them, and through her I know they're doing the autopsy this morning and we will hear of the result this afternoon. I will do my best to keep this blog updated. I have a list of people from Mediacom to keep updated: Zack, Brian+Stacy, Mat+Shlee, Josh, Tiki+Jim Reeves, Chris Horner, Chris Nison Bobert, Chris Gibbons, I need numbers for Bryan Myer and the guy we play World of Warcraft with, named Rob. Other than that, I have notified some of his friends in Iowa City, as well as the friend in the Air Force who introduced me to Rusty. Please, if you know anyone else who needs to stay in the loop, contact me at 515-822-9414 or rmgeisler[at]gmail[dot]com.

I assumed he was late getting home because he got held up at work when I heard a knock on the door. I thought maybe he was carrying something and couldn't open the door himself. When I looked through the peep hole and saw a man in a police officer's uniform I thought maybe he was in jail. When I opened the door and saw two police officers.... well, I suppose we all know what it means.

They asked for the family of Stan Pickle. I informed them I'm dating him and asked what happened. They asked if they could come in, (yes, of course) and if anyone else was home. Our roommate and his girlfriend were out, so they continued to tell me what happened. Though it wasn't a large deer, they still had to put it down.

They had me call Mom to come support me, and while we waited I told the remaining officer about Rusty's goal to bring Amtgard to Des Moines, and showed him the renaissance clothes he'd planned on wearing. I still don't have the heart to open the package that came in the mail that day, which I know is the skirt and corset he ordered for me. (OK, I lied, I just opened it, and I think I'll wear it to the funeral.)

I was showing him how I suppose Rusty's Renaissance pants fit together when our roommate and his girlfriend came home. "Rae.." she said in a scared tone, "What's going on?" I explained that Rusty hit a deer on the bike. We both burst into tears and we embraced, at the end of which she asked if he was in the hospital, so I informed her that he didn't make it, and the three of us held a prolonged embrace.

Mom and my step-dad arrived, and they asked the police some questions. I don't know how this process works, but I was given a card and a number to call regarding his body and the bike. I gave this number to Rusty's mom, who was also informed by the police in her area after I gave them her contact information. She tells me they can't move the body until she picks the funeral home. She's so upset, as is expected, and we don't know what he would have wanted. All I remember is him vehemently complaining about how expensive it is for someone to die. (Personally, I'd rather my surviving loved ones throw me in a dumpster than to be forced to pay thousands of dollars for services to a corpse.) His family has had some financial difficulty lately, so they certainly don't need any more expenses. Luckily, he did serve in the military, so they may pay for the funeral.