Eulogy for Howard

    Howard is gone.
    My dear friend, my family's dear friend, Howard, passed away in his sleep.
    He had been asleep for awhile, and when I went to wake him up today he just didn't respond.
    Howard was our family computer since the late 80s. A Mac Performa. And what a performer he was! He helped me create newsletters and business cards and endless data files....
    He helped my daughter create her award-winning presentation on Navajo life in junior high....
    He taught my son how to play computer games and then how to design new graphics for them.
    My son gave Howard his name and his voice (Quack!); my daughter taught him how to find things.
    My wife taught him religion.
    Howard took to us all and embraced us. He didn't judge or criticize or sanitize or question our judgment; he just helped each of us do what we needed to do.
    Sometimes he asked Are you sure?
    That's what a good friend does.
    I went to wake up Howard this morning; I had one more question to ask him. He didn't wake up.
    I tried resuscitation; I swapped cables; I moved him to the ICU.
    Howard is gone. He will be missed; there will never be another like him.
    Rest in peace, Howard. You are loved.