Heard about Don De Grazia passing away earlier today. Felt kinda heavy, you know? Wanted somewhere to leave my thoughts, just a simple place to say something. Kept looking online for any official notice or a place folks were gathering to share memories. Couldn’t find squat at first.
Getting Started
Jumped onto my computer, opened up the browser. Typed in stuff like “Don De Grazia obituary” and “memorial page” into the search bar. Scrolled through pages and pages of results. Felt like digging through an old attic – dusty and slow. Found a funeral home website after way too much clicking. Saw the notice, but nothing about sharing memories. Annoying.
Finding the Spot
Noticed a tiny, plain link at the very bottom of the obituary. Said “Online Guestbook Here“. Almost missed it. Clicked it. Finally! A simple form popped up. Just fields for your name and email, and a big box for the message.
Writing My Bit
Stared at that message box for a while. How do you sum up what someone meant in just words on a screen? Typed out a rough thing.
- First, I wrote how I knew Don. Just said “worked together a few years back”.
- Then, put down something specific I remembered about him – how he always told this one terrible joke but cracked himself up.
- Added how he made you feel, even if just for a minute in the hall. Said it felt like you mattered.
- Finished with something simple like “He’ll be missed.”
Read it over. Felt clumsy. Deleted half of it. Wrote it again, shorter this time. Just went with it. Hit “Preview“.
Crossing the Finish Line
Looked at the preview. The words looked kinda small and formal on the screen. Added my name – just first name and last initial. Typed in my email address. Ticked the box agreeing to some privacy thing. Didn’t even really read it, just wanted to be done. Took a breath. Clicked that “Submit” button. Boom. A page popped up saying “Thank You for Sharing”. That was it.
Felt lighter after. Still sad, obviously. But doing something, even something small like typing into a box on the internet, made it feel a bit more real. And seeing that confirmation page? It meant my memory was saved somewhere, I guess. For his people. That mattered.
