He would want a party..

One my my dad's best friends, Ron "Flip" Filkins, died this morning. I'm still a little bit in shock. My dad has a very close group of friends that he has known since high school (or longer) and they get together frequently. Most live in the Omaha/CB area, but Flip has lived away from the area of years and currently lives in Bardstown, KY and was the publisher of a newspaper. Flip (which is virtually the only thing I have every called him) was a funny, quirky, intelligent guy who always had a smile on his face and a great story to tell. My sister interned for his paper during the summer of 2004 and actually lived with Flip and his wife Kathleen in Bardstown. He was thrilled that she accepted the position and she has many stories from spending the summer with them. Flip and Kathleen also gave Matt and I one of the wedding gifts we use and discuss the most - our wonderful ice cream maker.

My family spent the day sharing memories of Flip and decided that he would not want any of us to be sad. In fact, he is probably wondering why we are not beginning to plan the party, because he is the first one who would have RSVP'd.

God speed, Flip. You will be missed.