For Stiffler...

It's interesting what kinds of connection you can make through music. Sometimes there's certain people that might come to mind over specific music. For example, I had a friend who would do Jadakiss' trademark laugh when he was "all fired up", I'll also remember him playing the "Rocky IV" soundtrack when we played "Fight Night", "Mexico" by James Taylor will always remind me of cleaning the fraternity house basement and my pledge brother Matia, I have another friend in which we share "Tumbling Dice" as a song that we both like a great deal, etc, etc.
Recently, I had a friend pass away. He was a great guy and his actions were always earnest. His name is Nate Stiffler, and we called him (and he intro'ed himself as) Stiffler for short. He is my pledge brother and fraternal brother at the PA Nu chapter of Phi Kappa Phi at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the Spring of 2004.
Once when we became brothers there was a formal held to celebrate the end of that semester and the new members. So as many brothers (and their dates) that could attend went to Rayestown Lake for that formal. Among a million memories; jumping off the cliffs into the cold lake, breaking tree limbs/making firewood with Norris, drinking, and having fun, I'll never forget Stiffler. That whole time he sung, he must have been so thrilled that pledging was finally over that he just sang. He sang James Taylor, he sang some country songs, and most notably he sang "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver. I'll never forget, in a drunken haze asking him, "Was pledging worth it?" and he answered with, "Country roads, take me home..." as he drifted into song I turned away when I really should have listened. Somehow he kept that up and had at least 15+ people singing around that campfire by night's end. He is one of a kind.
It's only been a few hours since I learned of his passing, and it's still shocking. I wish I had gotten that chance to see him one more time and now this memory is the strongest thing I have. I'll hold on to it for as long as I can. Same thing goes for any other memory that surfaces about him.