Kim E. Custer Tribute
“The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.”
I'm feeling like time is so
precious. We never really get enough of it with the people whom we love. I just
lost my uncle, Kim E. Custer this summer. I was fortunate enough to have lived
out on the West Coast close to him for several years and then was able to spend
time with him last summer in both Vermont and Indiana.
Kim was charismatic, funny as hell,
driven, intelligent, hard-working, generous, passionate, and a hilarious
story-telling…he was also drop-dead gorgeous with blue eyes, dimples and those Custer
Good Looks. For much of the 90s he was the face of Mitsubishi, working as the
head of Public Relations. He was a force in the car industry throughout his
life. Quite simply, he was passionate about cars and about people.
Both in his life and since
his passing, Kim has brought so many of us closer together. I feel a deeper
bond with both my family back in Indiana as well as with many of his friends whom I have just come to know recently. It’s as if he
still continues to connect us all even after his death.
In my last conversation with
him, I told him how loved he is and has been. I have to believe that he understands that. I knew he was well loved but
didn’t really appreciate how many people’s lives he’s touched until he passed.
Hundreds of people from around the country and abroad have shared their stories
and memories of Kim.
So many people have given so much to Kim in the past several years...starting with my family back in the Midwest and around the country who have
come together to show their love and support of Kim. His brother Lane and
sister-in-law Anne had taken him in during this last year to help him get
through tough times. He was surrounded by siblings and family who loved him
deeply as well as good friends around the country (he also lived with two of his dear friends Dave and Bill in Vermont the year prior).
I'd like to send out a big thank you as well
to his good friends Deb Pollack and Dan Gardner who also managed to put
together a West Coast Tribute in his honor this past month.
I wanted to put together a
slideshow of a few moments throughout his life that capture the charisma and
charm that he always had. I think he’d like to be remembered for that fire in
his spirit.
Here’s to you, Kim. You will
be very much missed. I'm so grateful for the time I had with you, though it doesn’t
feel like it was enough.
