Untimely Death

I have thought much in recent days of the truth of John Donne's words: "No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." The nature of our community is such that we all very much feel the deaths of our neighbors. My own across-the-street neighbor, Bert Goodrich, died a couple of weeks ago of cancer. Then there was the unexpected death of Dan Bergen, a vital man of 60, who has contributed so much to the life of our village. This past weekend Maureen Buschatzke, a mother in the prime of life, collapsed in front of her home after returning from cross-country skiing. A few months ago there were the deaths of two local teenagers, one in an auto accident, the other in a shooting accident.

On January 14, The New York Times, contained an obituary for Richard Versalle, 63, a tenor with the Metropolitan Opera. He died on stage during the premiere of "The Makropulos Case." The Times reports, "Mr. Versalle, who, in the opening scene, was singing the role of Vitek, an elderly clerk in a law firm, fell 10 feet from a sliding ladder he had mounted to place a file for a century-old legal case back into its drawer. As he sang the words 'Too bad you can only live so long,' his voice faltered and he fell to the floor..."

All these are reminders of the truth of the Psalmist's words: "Lord, teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom."

C. David Hess