Your
kind expressions of sympathy are gratefully
acknowledged and deeply
appreciated . . .
Dear Alex and the Staff of the Union Hall,
I don't know where to begin. Thank you very much for the flowers for
Bruce's funeral. Second, the staff at the Union Hall has been very helpful
and their hard work in helping me will never be forgotten. Also, each and
every firefighter with the Union has and will continue to give me the
support I need to be strong from my children.
Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. Your "brother" Bruce would be
proud.
Thanks again,
Judy Sommers |
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July 9, 2003 Hello,
My name is Jeff Bowers, I am one of Bruce Sommer's cousins. We were very close, he and his family would spend most every major holiday together with my family at my parents house. Your tribute to him brings back a lot of great memories, but also a lot of hurt caused by his absence.
I thanked as many of his "brothers" at his funeral as I could but couldn't make it to all. I wanted to let all of you know that one of the proudest days in Bruce's life was the day he told me he had become a firefighter. That one step in his life helped make Bruce, Bruce. I also wanted to thank the department for the way his funeral was handled, and to all the firefighters who participated, it helped make a very difficult time a little easier to handle.
Thank you and God bless all of you!
Jeff, Kathy, Andrea, and Jessica Bowers |
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July 9, 2003 To: Alex Guzman, President
San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association, Local 624
I am Bruce's cousin. I would like to thank you for everything you did in his memory. To see the outpouring of love, and respect was life altering for me. His death was so very tragic. Bruce was the example of "living life out loud". You, his "brothers" gave him so much meaning, love and
purpose in life.
Although I will never understand the way his life ended . . . I will chose to hold his spirit close, to appreciate every new day, to appreciate every smile my child gives, and will never forget the mere thankfulness that I have
one more reason to appreciate something as simple as a sunset.
GOD BE WITH
YOU ALL.
Donnie Young
Austin, Texas |
|
July 12, 2003 Dear Alex and
all of the brothers of the San Antonio Fire Department,
On behalf of Bruce's entire family, I want to tell you how grateful we
were in the manner you presented Bruce to his final place of rest.
I talked with Bruce the evening before his most untimely and tragic death.
During our conversation he once again told me how proud he was to be a
firefighter. This is something he told me often. He loved the work, the
interaction he had with the community (especially as Sparky) and most
especially the friendships he had with his fellow firefighters. As do all
of you, I continue to wonder if there was something I missed in that last
conversation, or any leading up to it, that would have given me a clue as
to the desperation he was feeling. He was very good about hiding his
feelings when he thought they may hurt those he loved. I believe he is now
out of the emotional pain he was experiencing, but still believe he chose
a permanent solution to a very temporary bump in his life . . . a tremendous
loss to all of us left behind.
Bruce was my baby brother and I miss him so very much. I know he is in
heaven keeping a watchful eye on all of us. I thank you for the honor you
showed Bruce as you so wonderfully transported him and laid him to rest. I
certainly felt he deserved it, and was overwhelmed by the support and the
words of each of you I was able to speak with who felt the same. Those
memories have helped make every day that has passed since go a bit easier.
May God bless each of you and keep you safe.
Bruce's Sister,
Kathleen Epps |
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