Farewell, Travis (The Backlog!)

My friend Travis Newcombe passed away over the weekend. It was a heart attack. It was sudden. His wife, Anne, and the kids had been with him at the family cabin when it happened. 

It didn't feel real when I first saw a post pop up on Facebook. Anne called me a couple of days later. She was making her way down Travis' phone list to notify family and friends. 

The funeral was Thursday. I took off work for the day and drove up to NOVA for it.

Travis was blessed with a large, close extended family. I only recognized a few people, and I don't think I was recognized by more than a couple. I met Travis in college and we were night owls. My parents' house was north of his place and south of the Jeffers, so it ended up being a frequent gathering place.

I stood in line to shake Travis' father's hand and managed not to choke up too much. The rest of the time I stood in the back and mourned. There weren't enough chairs for everyone and I figured I was healthy enough to stand.

Anne posted this on Facebook.

There will never be the right words to express the loss of you. Travis O. Newcomb, my darling husband, you are home now--lifting your voice in praise and glory to our Savior. I wish you didn't have to go so soon. I wish we could have had more time together. Two years and nine months wasn't enough time with you. I wanted a lifetime....I wanted to grow old together. When we stood and read our vows not even three years ago....neither of us imagined that "til death do us part" would happen so soon.

I'm broken and mourning because the most precious thing in my life on this earth is gone....but I do not mourn without hope. As you yourself said when we were dating: "Married for a season....brother and sister in Christ for eternity." God knit our hearts together as he fashioned us for one another. And that knitting and fashioning was based on Christ and His Word. You LOVED God's Word, and you LOVED His truth. THAT is what truly knit our hearts together....and that is not gone. I will see you again one day in glory....and we will stand side-by-side worshiping our Savior and singing with one voice: "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me...."

I love you Travis! With all my heart.

When she spoke at the funeral, it was obvious she knew the real Travis. He would have been honored by her words and I can only hope I am spoken of as well when I pass. They bought a house together less than a year ago. I don't know if she will retain any custody of the kids, or if she will stay in the area. She was originally from CA and moved to VA to be with Travis.

I could write many stories of my adventures with Travis. We met in college. We had multiple classes together Freshman year. I distinctly remember him from my English class (it was smaller), but we didn't really talk. I saw him in a big, lecture class, but he moved up front to take notes while I parked in the back to hide. 

We didn't really get to know each other until the summer session. We both signed up for Biology. I was sitting down, and when Travis walked in we made awkward eye contact. In that moment, our thoughts aligned: We recognized each other, but recognized we didn't know each other! Neither Travis or I believe in coincidences like that. He walked over to me, introduced himself, and we started talking. When video games came up, I mentioned Shining Force 2 as one of the all-time greats. Travis' eye's lit up. From there, we clicked. We laughed, joked, and kept finding similarities. 

Eventually, Travis invited me over to play GURPs (an RPG). I brought Matt and Dan, too. We showed up way late and ended up hanging out even later (Nana called me a bad word when I brought Matt home at 6 AM - She'd been sleeping on the couch). 

For the next 4 years or so, Travis was a close member of my friend circle. He taught me how to make scrambled eggs at 2 AM one day and asked my mom about clothing animals another (fun story there!). He eventually moved out to near Leesburg with his oldest brother. We saw each other less then, but still made it out to a couple plays (Travis was a big actor!). When Travis moved out to California to see if he could get an acting job, we stayed in touch every now and again over the phone. I tried to visit him when Carrie and I were on our honeymoon (Travis lived in/near Seattle then with his ex). When Travis moved back to Woodbridge, Shane and I visited him there. 

Suffice to say, I've known Travis a long time. I last texted him on June 12.

Only Kitsune died. Shane and I never made the road trip to NOVA. 

I was thinking about reaching out to Travis for an online D&D game Bill, Dan, Matt, and I were starting in September. Only I didn't. Maybe I should have. It's too late now.

But, if it wasn't clear from Anne's post, I'm sure Travis is in heaven. He's been a believer in talk and action as long as I've known him. There's a big hole in his family that he used to fill, but Travis is with God now. My prayers are for his loved ones who are grieving to be comforted and to draw closer to each other and Jesus in Travis' passing. It's what he would've wanted.