I was just adjusting to a world without 'Father Joe' Corley when my world was rocked again.
I don't anyone who loved newspapering - and the people who toil in it every day - more than Brian Freeman.
In short, Brian approached the trade the same way he approached life - with the determination of the Marine that he was to the 'core.'
Father Joe, who did what can only be described as God's work in tending to the flock of Blessed Virgin Mary parish in Darby Borough, lost a battle with cancer last weekend.
This weekend we lost Brian to the same dreaded disease.
Brian battled it the way he faced every fight - head-on.
He never bowed to the enemy, and make no mistake, cancer was his enemy. He fought it with every fiber in his body.
Brian arrived at the newspaper by chasing his first love, sports.
I could not count the number of conversations we had on the Phillies and Eagles.
Brian was one of those who discovered the true magic of the Daily Times sports section - we covered Delco high school kids the same way we treated their pro counterparts.
It's not unusual for newspaper to cover pro sports. Or high school teams. I assure you it is quite novel to accord both the same treatment.
No one took that to heart like Brian.
He treated high school wrestling like the Super Bowl.
That work ethic came with him when he came over to the news side. He covered Darby Borough and myriad other stories like it was the Eagles. Hell, given some of the antics of Paula Brown and the good folks in that town, maybe it was.
It's a little ironic that we would lose both Father Joe and Brian in the same week. Both were wired into Darby Borough.
One of the things that endeared Brian to so many of us here at the Daily Times was that he was always interested in you. Some news people can get full of themselves.
Not Brian.
He was always about the people he covered.
It's just been a long, tough week.
We cover sad stories every day. We build up a tough veneer. Some call us cynical. It is for a reason. We use it as a defense mechanism. We often laugh to keep from crying.
Too bad no one ever told us how to deal with these things when they hit home.
RIP, Brian.
Semper Fi.
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