It’s been exactly one year since Curtis Noll died, at 22 years old of a rare type of cancer.
Who was Curtis Noll?
For one, my best friend. We had our differences at times- ever since an old friend Nick Howard introduced us, and Curtis decided to spin out in his Mustang down a dirt road to see how loud I’d scream.
That was my freshmen year of high school…and it seems like yesterday.
Two, Curtis was a leader and- almost ironically, but I think many agree without question- a role model. Curtis was constantly in trouble with small things- speeding tickets in particular- girl’s boy friends, girl’s parents, girl’s friends….ha!
But in the end, he lived his life without restraint- even before he knew the end was near. And that was what was so inspiring- then and now.
You could just SEE how alive he was at any given moment. Never hesitating in his actions, his voice, or anything else for that matter. He was driven, and always looking to add value to the lives of other’s- especially his close friends.
And like I said, he was a leader.
I think a lot of people see me leading now, and wonder, where did I learn that from?
Some from my father, no doubt- but I would have to say a great deal was from Curtis. He was always leading, always organizing, always bringing people together.
It’s probably not a coincidence with his passing my life’s focus is, literally, bringing people together.
Whether it was with parties, giant camping trips, road trips, vacations, fishing “expeditions”, adventures, boating, egging my ex girlfriends house after she egged mine….;)
We did so many stupid things together, I’m actually going to create an entire topic category on here and occasionally share the crazier stories…some of which only a handful of people know.
Curtis was always on top of things, always driven, always chipping away at something.
…
On an even more personal level, I’ve thought about Curtis nearly every single day since his passing. It has not been easy, but it hasn’t been “hard” either. It’s just foregin territory for me dealing with the death of someone so close- but thus far I think he’s helped me every bit as much, if not more since his passing.
It’s funny, whenever I’m stuck with a decision, I think “what would Curtis do?”
And the answer is almost always the same… he would look to himself for an answer. He would look inside and trust his own judgment- which in the short term didn’t always turn out best for him, but in the long term it always did. Somehow, he just had the magic touch to make sure things worked well.
I only wish he could have lived to share more of his personality with the world, but he didn’t. We have memories, and the lessons we draw from those memories, and that’s it- but that’s a lot.
Hope your resting easy bro, we miss you.
-Anthony
Anthony,
Although I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Curtis, I too feel like I have learned from him…through you. He seemed like an incredible guy, an inspriational person, and a loyal true friend. He was so lucky to have had you in his life, as people were to have him in theirs. I hope the cayo costa trip lives on in his memory, bringing more people together to share the special moments of his life. Thank you for sharing this with me and inspiring me to live my life the Curtis way. As one who wished to have known him….Curtis, you are missed.
-Kenzi
P.S. Ironically, I actually boated out to cayo costa today to spend the day playing in the sun with my family. I told them about the annual trip and about Curtis, not knowing that today was the anniversary.
Anthony,
Thank you for sharing what Curtis means to you. He was young, but he understood what is most important in life, friends and family. Sometimes his Dad and I chuckle when we think of Curtis taking “one more trip” before school started. We call it “endless summer”. I thank God now that he did so much in his young life. I think he taught many people how to live life to the fullest! I have a long way to go, but “Curtis, I’m working on it!”
Thanks for the comments guys. I’ll do my best to make sure his memories and adventures live on- here, and with the Cayo Costa trip. Thanks for the support as well- especially momma Curtis! You and Craig have made the trip possible over the past 2 years and we thank you for that big time!
-Anthony