Cosmo

Cosmo

The email subject from my friend, Brent, was stark and dangerous looking, “Cosmo.” Wasting no time, I opened the message, allowing myself no time to ponder the possible reasons why Brent would be addressing such an email in that manner. I suppose I already knew what it would say. I almost remember the exact words after reading it just one time,

“This is very sad - Cosmo passed away at 7:30 am from a heart attack. He was coming back from a workout and was driving near his home when it happened. Arrangements are being made in Charlottesville later in the week. E-mail me later and I'll know more about the arrangements.”

I can only imagine what pain Brent was experiencing as he wrote those words. Cosmo Mirra, was Brent’s best friend. They had been through so much together from their younger days in Charlottesville. By chance, Jackie and I moved in to a house that Debbie, Brent’s wife, lived in. Her father had built it. Within a couple of years, Debbie’s father built a house for Debbie and Brent right next door to us. With them living beside us, a friendship developed. We gradually had more and more contact with Cosmo and his wife, Jan. It turned out that Cosmo and Jan, Brent and Debbie, as well as Jackie and I all ended up having children at about the same time. Together with their other friends, especially Bill and Patty, we shared many great times. As our children grew up, we’d spend hours together. Cosmo became a great friend; someone we always looked forward to seeing.

Years ago, Brent and I would get the urge for a RISK game, and we’d call Cosmo. He’d always come over. Together we’d spend hours playing into the quiet hours of the night, laughing and watching basketball with a Heineken or two as we conquered the world. Cosmo always had something pointed and funny to say, always delivered with a twinkle in his eye. Those were such innocent times.

I never knew exactly what Cosmo did for a living. I knew that he worked for years with General Electric in Charlottesville and spend a great deal of time jetting from one city or country to another. He would sometimes try to explain, but I could never quite grasp the complexity of it. That didn’t really matter to him; he enjoyed our friendship nonetheless. Later, GE treated him exactly how they treated my father. He was laid off and faced the prospect of finding a new job at the age of 50. Eventually, he found a great job in the New River Valley and moved to Blacksburg with his family.

Moving to Blacksburg must have been very hard on Cosmo. He was a dedicated UVA sports fan. I remember the pride he and his son, Lucian, took in being two of the 250 UVA fans to trek to Boise, Idaho for the Smurf Bowl one year in the recent past. He used to love to tease me about the latest Virginia Tech athletic program snafu, but in the end our team rivalry was friendly and good-spirited, at least it was on my end.

Over the last few years, Cosmo and I have remained friends. We’d sometimes trade emails and other times we’d meet up with Brent and Debbie for this occasion or that. When I last saw him this past summer as we helped Brent and Debbie move to a new place, we caught up on everything. He was so proud of his son who was attending Christopher Newport or is that Carson-Newman…He gave me a hard time for getting that mixed up. He was proud of his wife, Jan, for opening up an antique store. This was a huge undertaking for her and Cosmo supported her in that even though the work could be difficult.

What I loved most about Cosmo was that he could talk to you about anything. He was knowledgeable and if there was a subject that he didn’t know a whole lot about, he wanted to learn more. He was one of the best listeners I’ve ever met. If, in conversation, he asked a question, he darned well wanted to fully understand your answer in detail. As our friendship grew, it became obvious that Cosmo and I shared similar political beliefs. It was always a blast challenging Brent, whose politics veered in a different direction from ours.

Over the summer, Brent and Debbie decided to downsize their life and make a short move in to a condo in Albemarle County. Cosmo, Jackie and I drove up to assist them in the move. Our trip up gave us an opportunity to catch up on everything and we found that Cosmo was very much enjoying his life. Once we got all of the furniture loaded onto the truck,Brent and Cosmo took the U-Haul and I followed in the van while Debbie, Jackie, and Patty went on to the condo. Along the way, the U-Haul broke down alongside of busy Rt.250 bypass in Charlottesville. Although it was rather stressful waiting beside the road for a tow truck to come, I wouldn’t trade that time for anything. Later, after the tow truck operator dropped the truck’s drive shaft so he could tow it to the condo for us, we unloaded the furniture and then collapsed on the floor. I remember all of us just sitting down on the furniture less floor and leaning up against the wall. Cosmo was at such peace at that moment. He had a way of existing in that time and place that was somehow more content. Cosmo Mirra was a fine man, excellent father, and great friend. I am much richer from having known him.

Cosmo is gone now, and I miss him.

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I wrote those words shortly after I heard of Cosmo’s passing as tears streamed down my face. Today, February 1, 2007, Cosmo was laid to rest. The service was simple, but moving. Thankfully the snow held off until after the service. The Reverend shared several verses from New Testament that I hadn’t considered lately, but that I think are quite appropriate for this situation. One such verse says this. “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will also bring with Him through Jesus those who have fallen asleep.” {1 Thessalonians 4:14 (Whole Chapter)} Cosmo fell asleep Monday, and while I miss him, I know that he is awake with the Lord.