It took a little while for my east coast suspiciousness to accept Gregs immediate familiarity and honesty. You just don't do that on the east coast, and if somebody asks you how you're doing they certainly don't care what answer you give! A real positive and energetic guy, I could tell his head was swarming with ideas jockying for position at the back of his tounge. I could never keep him on one subject long enough to remember any of them vividly, although he was definately full of ideas. We connected on our love for organic music but when the subject turned to the daily monotonies of beach life, his eyes would wander and I'd know he was about to shuffle off in seach of more interesting conversation.
I was relieved when he beat his chronic health problems and enjoyed seeing him gnaw into life with renewed vigor. Greg lived the last few years reborn as if ever day might be his last. Taken early, that son of a gun still managed to out-livemany of us who survive him!
"All I know is something like a bird within him sang . All I know he sang a little while and then flew on..." - Phil Lesh
Dear Greg,
It’s still hard for me to believe that your gone, I guess after today it will all seem a lot more real. I know I wasn’t always the nicest to you but what’s a day without Melissa getting cranky and being mean to someone. But I hope you know how much I loved you and that I was never mad at you just envious of the way you could live your life. You were always so carefree and happy, you just went with the flow and wanted to befriend and truly know every person who crossed your path. It annoyed me that my life could never be like that, I’m too anxious high strung and impatient. But I will try every day to take a lesson from you and be more patient and open. Every time I try to think of our experiences together I laugh. The first one that comes to mind is when I was in Arizona with my family and we ran into you and you took my bag of rocks I bought and was throwing them down on the car floor and reading my fortune. You then showed me and Michael a purple Elvis tattoo on your butt and wanted to put one on Michael until my mom (the “fun sucker” (just kidding mom)) put a stop to it. I know you would never want to leave us all this way at this time when you were so happy and had so much going for you but life isn’t fair. The only thing I can promise you try to help you rest in peace is that your sprit can never die as it lives on through all the people who love you and whose lives you’ve touched. You will continue to live on through me when I tell my children (one day, a day very far away) about my crazy uncle and the pitah rash, portagee hill, splinters on the butt from skiing accidents, the batik grateful dead tee-shirts you gave me that I still wear, all those stories you told me about my mother when she was younger that she’ll never admit to, and most importantly that you squeezed life to the last drop taking advantage of every day and living each moment to it's fullest experincing many things most people never will but through it all still being the happiest person i knew. And through that you will continue to live on forever through the Bowen generations. I love you Uncle Greg and I know you know that. Love, Melissa.
It's funny as im trying to write this my 2 year old son Grant, who Greg adored and who adored Greg, is trying with all his might to push onto the keyboards with his little fingers. Okay Greg...here he goes with his message.....g ff fvrrrr gnm h jy vv ggggggggggggggggg d 2ee]
ts5rg44rxs . Got that? im sure u can encode it. Greg u will be missed tremendously by so many....thank you for all the memories...Rick. aka by greg during poker night as "easy money" haha.
Women in Coffee trip to Peru, July 2005... Greg was the only guy on our trip. He was great - kind, generous, funny, sincere and gracious with all of us. It takes a special man to be with 7 women on an adventure to remote parts of Peru ... it was a gift for us that he was there. He wanted to take care of all of us, and keep us laughing. That's what I remember. A good man, with a good woman, Cheryl. He'll be missed I am sure by many.
Greg
I was just talking to matt about seeing you this summer at gloucester. I love you and miss you so much. I will always remember our times at gloucester; nights at the sand dunes, portagee hill, making friends with random strangers, and trying to think of ways to convince my parents to let me come visit you. You always had a smile on your face and could make anyone laugh. Thank you for all of the memories and good times. I love you and will be thinking of you everyday
