Support for Hank's Final Wishes

My name is Adam. I have been Hank's (Keith's) friend for almost 2 decades, his coworker for 1. Some of you may have known him longer. The truth is, it didn't take long to know what a kind-hearted, warm, funny, thoughtful, accomplished, gentle, loving, considerate, brilliant etc, etc, person he was. Ok, you caught me actually making some of this up! But we can all agree that despite how each of us wants to describe him, he was LOVED.

Sadly, he left us on August 6th (and without even having his morning coffee - he may have words with the Almighty!) peacefully in his sleep, exactly what we can all hope for. Exactly what he wanted. His eyes were closed and he was hugging his pillow, and with a slight smile on his face. His passing has left a hole in our hearts and the world feels a bit empty all of a sudden without him here.

We had at some point talked about the big "IF". If we only knew when we were actually going, we would go out and have fun, which in our case, meant 'eat.' We would have steak, and ribs, and ice cream, and chocolate, guzzle soda, and not worry about heart disease, blood pressure, diabetes, or any of those other fun diseases. But this man's last meal....was a salad!! Which is ironic, considering how many times he would tell me how many Whoppers he would consume in his 'youth'.. you know, like 12 years ago. The good news though, is that he shouted that it was a "Damn good salad" from the kitchen, so I at least knew that he had enjoyed his last meal.

The reason I've started this GoFundMe is because with everyone I've talked to to pass along that Keith (Hank) is in a better place, I've received offers of help. I have always had a hard time asking for help. I have been brought up in the way that to ask for help is admitting defeat, and have always strived to figure out solutions on my own. So working at Hank's Handyman Service was perfect because as we all know, I (or Kevin) did the work, while he sat and chatted with the customers, leaving Kevin (or I) to figure out the job on our own. He was of course on his feet when it came time to collect the check :P

Seriously though, one of the few times I asked for help in my life, was actually directed at Hank when I suddenly needed a place to stay. I didn't have a place lined up. I came to Hank asking if I could stay at his house, and without batting an eyelid, he said "yes." Well, actually, he said, "Let me get rid of my current roommate then the room is yours." Since then, I have felt no shame in asking him for help when I needed it. And when I did, he never reminded me of it. (He probably just forgot, since he was starting to forget things.) BUT what he never forgot was a hug in the morning. He started this thing that when he came out of his room in the morning, he would give me a hug. It was one of those things you never knew you needed until it was provided. And now it will be one of those things in a long list of things that I will miss about Hank (Keith).

But back to my original point, to everyone that has asked if they could pitch in and help, I will say I am deeply sorry. I know I have said I'm okay, and no help is necessary. But it never occurred to me that many want to help as one last thing they can do for their friend, until last night, when I spoke with my neighbor Marybell. Her kids called him "abuelo" or grandfather and they considered him such. Though Marybell's English is quite good, she is still more confident when her daughter is present to translate just in case. She had asked me herself, if there was anything she could do to help. And as usual, I replied with "It's ok, but thank you for offering." But when her daughter translated her mom's perfectly spoken words, they came out as "My mom REALLY wants to do something for abuelo, so she really wants to help." It was then it finally occurred to me that everyone that offered, not just wanted to help just to help, but that they wanted to do something for Keith(Hank).

I had just found out that Hank's (Keith's) cremation will be around 4500. And though we had started a Stash investing account to build toward that, it has gone, along with everything else, to probate and I am not allowed to touch it. The extra 500 is to cover any more unforeseen expenses. He didn't want anymore than the cremation so I will abide by his wishes. I sincerely appreciate any help anyone can give.

Thank you so much. I know you all knew him how I knew him so I tried to make this story sincere and funny at that same time because if there was one thing he wanted when he passed away, was for everyone to keep laughing.