We did our First Family 5K in honor of Bob Ragsdale. Bob is the husband of a dear friend of mine, Maureen. We worked together at Morgan Stanley years ago and have always stayed in touch. Approximately 18 months ago, Bob was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer - never smoked a day in his life. Unfortunately, at that stage, there is no cure - the doctors try to give as much time as possible, as sad as it is to say. And that they did- I can't wrap my mind around that, but the average life span is only 8 months. He was a runner - not just any ordinary runner, but a man that truly LOVED running. The SLU 5k was the last race he participated in before finding out about his diagnosis. Coincidental that the charity for the run is for cancer??? Last year, Mo had her whole family come and surprise Bob by showing up at the race and run in support of Bob and his continued 'marathon'....this one not just about running, but this marathon was about his life. Bob was overjoyed by the amount of support. I didn't know Bob well, but what I did know, see and hear from Mo - was he lived life to the fullest - enjoying 'all' the moments. Just last month, Bob lost his battle to cancer, BUT....his memory lives on. This year, SLU dedicated the run in honor of Bob and many family and friends came out to remember and have his legacy live on.
Maureen and Caroline (her daughter) with SLU Billiken accepting plaque in honor of Bob
(or Bobby Ragsdale as Mo would say)
Our future runners....Adeline & Graham
Bob's Marathon...
CONTINUES!!!
Words quoted from Caroline Ragsdale about her father's traits (something all of us should live by):
"Be frugal with your money, but not your time. Talk to people and get to know them. Be curious about life, never stop learning. Run or walk each day in the sunshine or rain. Be grateful for each moment."
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