Birth date: May 17, 1951 Death date: Jun 29, 2016
Bryan Timothy Cummings, age 65, of Wild Rose, WI, passed away on Wednesday, June 29th, 2016 at Wild Rose Community Memorial Hospital. He was born in Crosby, MN on May 17th, 1951, a son of the late Shirley Gordon and Ann Margaret(R Read Obituary
Good morning Bryan.
Seeing you whole again, I feel great relief. I missed you. I felt your pain as cancer mercilessly gnawed away at your earthly body.
Nonetheless, I cherished our final earthly visit in mid-May. Sobering as it was, I needed that visit. I needed to see you as you were and I needed talk to you. And in spite of the pain we shared, I felt some unexplained form of relief when I left the hospital after the conclusion of our visit.
Preceding that visit, I recall driving into town on the beautifully warm and sunny mid-May afternoon. But as I approached the hospital, I found myself anxiously rolling down the truck windows and taking a few deep and slow cleansing breaths. For I feared what I expected to see. Yes, long before entering your room at the end of the hallway in little Wild Rose Hospital, I knew exactly what I would see: defeat in your eyes and your body worn down by a relentless battle. A battle that you knew that you could not win.
Sadly, I knew that I had savored my last cold beer with you. And I knew that we could no longer entertain ourselves with the levity induced by our self-deprecating embellishments of misadventures in the outdoor world that we both loved. I knew that we could no longer BS and laugh at ourselves together.
For by that time, the malignant beast had already claimed an early victory in its slow and tortuous assault. And for you, clinging onto the last days of this final battle while sharing time with loved ones and retaining some degree of dignity was clearly all that mattered in this earthly life.
As the old folks used to say, “Life is too short.” We both knew that. We talked straight up. Just the facts. We shared each others fears and we dried our tears. Our hunting stories and our typical BS over good cold beer must now wait.
Well Bryan, you came from behind and you won that war. Yes, you lost one painful cancerous battle. But you won the war in your earthly life. And you victoriously entered eternal life. Once again, you are whole!
So today, I struggle to wipe away my tears, but I celebrate your life and the time you spent with others. Together, we all celebrate the time that you shared with each of us.
Yes Bryan, I already miss you. I miss the ethics and the compassionate values that you consistently displayed. I miss your dry but uplifting sense of humor with which you typically seasoned and spiced up discussions.
Bryan, we all miss you: your family, your friends, and your patients.
Who wouldn't miss you?
I want you to know that I already anxiously await sharing a couple of new stories with you. They will make us both laugh again until it hurts. You will love them.
And Bryan, just one more thing, before I arrive, please put a couple of extra beers on ice for me.
Bob Sorenson
July 6, 2016
Kathy and family,
I am so sorry to hear about Bryan. Even though I never had the opportunity to meet him, I have heard so many, many wonderful things about him. Treasure your years together and take comfort in your many memories.
Donna Fisher
Dear Kathy, Cameron and Brydie,
I continue to lift you up in prayer as you mourn Bryan's passing. I will forever be eternally grateful to Bryan, and to you, Kathy, as you both had such a crucial part in Brandon's therapy and healing from his burns when he was 3yrs old. Bryan's patience and skilled care, I am confident, are what helped him recover completely. Kathy, the board "race track" that you and Bryan created and made, and Cameron- your giving up 2 of your matchbox cars for the cause, helped Brandon through the difficult task of pushing through the pain that comes with healing... and this very thing makes me now think of all of you... the task you have ahead as you "push through the pain" as you heal from the loss of Bryan. Know that I am always here for you and hold you up in prayer...
Love,
Mary Lynn
