Sad day for NJF... RIP LAB......

[Gerry Zagorski]

I’m still reeling from the loss of Mike like most everyone who knew him….

Unlike some nondescript people you may have encountered here or there, chances are if you were ever within 100 yards of him, he’d be the one person in the crowd you’d remember. He was one of those rare people who had a larger than life personality, never held anything back and was the life of the party. If you look closely at all the pictures here you will notice one thing….Everyone he was pictured with had a smile on their face. He had that sort of effect on people and I would bet just before any of those pictures, he’d said or done something to earn that smile. Never a dull moment around Mike and this is what made being around him so much fun.

Mike was amongst a handful of the original cast and crew of NJfishing.com. Although many of us have lost touch with one and other over the years, this news brought back up a lot of those memories for me and others. Over the last several hours I’ve been in touch with many of them, some of which I haven’t talked to in years. A bitter sweet reminder of how precious friendships are and how you never know when your number is going to be called.

Not sure what regrets Mike may have had when his time came but I think not many. Here is a guy who you knew exactly where you stood with, gave more then he got, cared deeply for others and rarely missed an opportunity to bust balls in an endearing way only Mike could get away with.

Things are certainly never going to be the same around here without him. People like Mike leave voids in our lives that are difficult to fill. Like a ship, they also leave wakes behind them that are felt by everyone they’ve touched and are more pronounced to those closest to him.

My heart and prayers go out to his family and those who were closest to him. A one of a kind person who’s void is deep and wakes are steep.

Rest in peace Mike…. We reluctantly commit you to our father in heaven. I’ m sure He will appreciate your wit and reward you for the kindness you gave so abundantly during you time here with us.
As Buckshot said “ [FONT=Verdana","sans-serif]The world is not as nice a place as it was yesterday”. Our loss here on earth but I’m sure they are celebrating your arrival in heaven. Things are never going to be the same up there either. [/FONT]