ben shamis

Today marks 3 years since the death of my friend Ben Shamis. Ben sadly took his own life after battling depression for quite some time. He had so many friends all over the place and we all still miss him so much.

Ben was an amazing friend who was always willing and eager to listen, to talk, to tease (as he frequently did to me), to laugh (he was always laughing), to be a shoulder to lean on. We shared the same intense passion for Chris Farley, particularly his role in Tommy Boy. We skiied together and had numerous classes together. He was such a smart guy who knew so much about so many things...and he also had a weird obsession with emus. Ben was the section leader for the sousaphones in the MIHS marching band and fervently led that crazy section. They named Ben's sousaphone after him when he died: Big Ben.

Ben left us too soon, and we all still miss him so much. Here's to you, Ben.