You loved chili with a kick,
Nerds and runts and dried apricots.
You tried to teach me how to attack hills by 'resting' on your toes
Letting gravity do all the work.
You loved to appreciate
Sharing anything you had.
You always boiled water for us
Made tea and hot chocolate
Surprised us with marshmallows and firewood.
You said don't worry
It all evens out.
You liked taking photos of other people
Rarely of yourself.
You were intelligent, at ease,
A pleasure to be around
With no end of manners.
You quietly brought out the best in us at a time
We were questioning our own purpose and ability.
You were an example of a beautiful human being,
So beautiful that I feel ashamed to still be here instead.
My last words to you were about the difficult winds
You replied - "Almost not worth fighting" -
While zooming by
Driven by a supernatural motivation
But you did fight and you did win
And that is how you will be remembered.
We ride for you.
RIP Collin Cureatz
May (?) 1984 - June 29 2007
20 comments:
Damn I am really sorry to hear about this tragic event. Actually this has really been shocking to me. I hope that his passing was peaceful. I wish him and his family all the best.
Much Love to you all.
Hey buddy i read the poem you wrote at dinner to my house mates and we had a moment of silence for your friend. I will try calling you guys.
I'm sorry for your loss, Pat and Goran.
Oi, achei teu blog pelo google tá bem interessante gostei desse post. Quando der dá uma passada pelo meu blog, é sobre camisetas personalizadas, mostra passo a passo como criar uma camiseta personalizada bem maneira. Até mais.
Wow. I'm so sorry. That's horrible.
Thanks very much for posting some stuff about Collin. I went to highschool with him and this whole thing has just been a mess.
Thanks very much.
Josh
Thank you....
Collin was loved by many. I'm another High school friend of his and will miss him dearly. Thank you for posting that and showing me again just how gracious and kind he was. I'm sorry that you guys had to be around for that, but I'm glad somebody was who knew him and what a wonderful guy he was.
Our golden boy, we'll miss him forever.
thank you
~Alix~
Dear Pat and Goran,
I'm very sorry to hear the sad news. My thoughts and prayers go to Collin's family.
Take good care, guys.
Love,
Mum (Su)
That is a great poem about Collin it captures his being well. I was a friend of his from University, he will be missed by us all :(
Good luck on your ride!
I read your heart-wrenching poem and really felt for you and Goran. I am very sorry for the loss of your lovely companion and send my deepest sympathies to Collin's family and loved ones.
Ride on, but safely. Take great care.
Love,
Auntie Chin Yen.
I wasn't sure why i kept googling Collin's name- it was probably just so that I would finally hit your blog.
I am a Professor at U of G and had the pleasure to know Collin very well as I was assigned the role of mentor. This is a really tragic loss!
Thanks for posting this poem and these last pictures of him- they are very precious as they show that he left us enjoying life to the fullest in a beautiful scenery and in the company of two newly found friends who clearly quickly saw what a fantastic young man Collin was.
You two, please keep safe I wish you the very best in your trip and I salute your courage for continuing on your journey after such a dramatic event.
France-Isabelle
Patrick I just caught up with your blog and am speechless as to what has happened thus far. I never knew Collin, yet I did graduate from the same University and have no doubt that you are right he was a great guy and a beautiful human being. May he rest in peace.
Your strength and persitance in crossing the mountains is awesome and impressive; you guys really are kicking ass out there and we're all proud of you.
May the rest of your journey unfold smoothly,
Alec
Collin was an amazing guy and I was proud to call him our friend. We were and continue to be inspired by him, and our deepest condolences go out to everyone who was part of his life.
Pat and Goran,
Thank you so much for posting this about our Collin. As part of his immediate family, we are still searching for as much info. about his last days as we can. We are so sad and missing him so much already.
I am so glad that you got to meet him even for a brief time. We just got back from flying out to Calgary to see where everything happened. I found the flowers and cards you left. :( Thank you so much. I know that Collin would have wanted you to continue on your trip. We wish you great success and safety on the rest of your journey.
Hoping we will get to meet you upon your return, Stephanie
...by the way...his birthday was May 16th, 1984. :(
Hi Pat and Goran,
I guess we weren't reading between the lines and didn't realize what happened to Collin until today.
We feel your grieve and loss of a friend, and pray for your safety as you journey on. Please be very careful and look after yourselves.
Tony & Carol
Collin Cureatz was the closest thing i had to a brother growing up. Since kindergarten we traveled with each others family's , His father even taught me to ski, which eventually lead to Snowboarding and Skateboarding. I know reside in Montreal Quebec as an amateur skateboarder, and the entire direction of my life up to this point leads back to those simple days of riding his brothers boards down their driveway. I miss you deeply my friend. I wish i had seen more of you since we graduated high school, we should never have drifted apart like that. Thank you to everyone involved in this website my prayers with you both on the rest of your ride maybe one day we'll meet and share stories. My deepest sorrows for Collin's family, i love you all. You'll forever be missed my friend.
May your passing awaken the lives of sleepwalking humans.
Glencoe Hogle III
Thank you for sharing your memories of Collin. He stayed with me in vancouver before he left. It is comforting to know you three were having an amazing time together before the end. Wishing you a safe journey.
It was only just now that I heard about what happened to Collin. My deepest sympathies to his family and friends. I was on my own cross Canada ride and had the pleasure of meeting Collin at Spences Bridge B.C. on June 23. I was just turning on to the highway when Collin rode up. We chatted and he told me about school and his girlfriend as we lived fairly close together. We took photos of each other noting our similar red,black and white colour co-ordination. He laughed and said "Well,you have to look the part". After riding together for a while it became obvious that at twice his age I couldn't keep up on the hill climbs so we parted ways. I saw him again in Cache Creek at the subway shop around lunch time and he left for Kamloops. He sent me a text message asking if I wanted to share a room there but I didn't see it in time. I thought about Collin many times on my trip and hoped to see him again but did not expect to since he was such a strong rider. I only knew him for a short time but I could tell he was an amazing young man as his personality seemed to radiate out around him. It is with a heavy heart that I write this but thanks for giving me the space to do it. (if the family would like the photo I can e-mail it) Sincerely Chris Guthro, Stoney Creek Ont. cguthro@cogeco.ca
I miss my little brother, Collin Cureatz, so very much. Thank you for dedicating your ride to the memory of him. Collin was the best!!!! I am so happy that you both made it home safe. I planted a tree in my backyard and a solar light next to it for my brother. I wake up around 2:00am every morning because I am restless and think about what Collin had to fight that horrible day, June 29th. I am so sad. I go downstairs and look out the window into my backyard at Collin's light. At these moments I think a lot and am so grateful Collin was not alone that day. Thank you for being at his side. I placed a cross and a solar light next to the road out in Banff. The Banff RCMP told me that the light will remain in place. I strongly feel my brother was too good for this world.
Thank you for being with him as he made the ultimate journey. We will all have our day. I just feel that Collin's was too early. I live my life for not only myself, but for my brother as well. ("I love you Collin")
Rion Cureatz
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