On June 4th, my father succumbed to injuries he sustained from a tragic accident that occurred on May 31st.
His passing has not only consumed my soul with unimaginable sorrow, but the entire world has once again lost one of the great ones.
I could easily fill an entire book about the life of this man, and every page would be full of some amazing accounts of his extraordinary and adventurous life. So what you are about to read is my personal memorial to the man I was so blessed and honored to know best as "Dad".
Dad had a lot of interests and loved to do alot of things, too many to mention. But the one thing that gave him the most amount of joy was making people laugh, it always made him so happy to tell a joke that people really enjoyed. That meant more to him than anyone will ever know.
His unforgettable presence is forever etched in my heart, and in countless others who were blessed to have known him.
The sound of his voice and unique laughter will forever echo through my soul.
He cherished his family and friends, just as they cherished him. He will be greatly missed and never forgotten.
He was my hero for teaching me to step up to the face of fear and overcome it.
He was my role model who possessed and instilled in me all the admirable qualities of a respected man.
He was my friend that was always there when I had a question or needed advice. He was the kind of friend that would give a complete stranger the shirt off his back and never expect anything in return.
He was my first and biggest influence in music. He was an incredibly talented singer/songwriter, and guitar player. My earliest memories as a child were of me sitting on our basement floor watching my mom and dad rehearse with their band. I remember what it felt like to have this overwhelming feeling in my soul. I didn't know what it was at the time, because I only experienced it when I watched them perform. In time I became addicted to that magical feeling. So when my parents finally gave up on their attempts to stop me from making a drum set out of anything I could find in the house that made noise, they finally bought me my first drum set, and the rest is history.
I know my parents were extremely proud of me for all my accomplishments in my music career and other achievements I've made in my life, but for me knowing that I made them proud, is by far my most proudest achievement.
But on March 7th 2004, Dad's whole world was turned upside down by the tragic death of the love of his life, his wife of 37 years and my beloved mother. It's been 3 years since her death and I know I've still got a long way to go before I will be at peace with it.
As for my dad, I truly believe his soul died that same day, because he was never the same. I know how hard it's been for me to deal the loss of my mom, but I don't think anyone could possibly have a clue to what Dad's life must have been like for the past three years. He existed in a prison-like hell of unimaginable grief and pain.
He did try to go out and meet people and he did meet some very good people, but unfortunately he also met some bad ones that were successful at taking advantage of his generosity and kindness. But, he was doing what he could to get on with his life. But I truly don't think he ever would have found true happiness again.
Even though I miss both of my parents dearly and always will, the one thing that comforts me more than anything, is the fact that they are finally reunited and neither of them are no longer in pain.
I'm still going to take a little more time away from work and the band and when I'm ready to get back behind those drums, I know I won't be alone, and I have every intention on following through with my fathers wishes of me "Makin it to the Big Time."
He was without a doubt a great human being and as the story goes, they defiantly broke the mold after his creation, and that's a damn shame because the world needs more people like Rudy J Herman. People that were raised to understand the importance of possessing admirable qualities are becoming a dying breed. I feel incredibly lucky to have been raised in an environment that did everything in their power to instill those qualities in me and I'm blessed to possess them.
- James Herman
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