We just learned that one of our fellow Aikido died.
Joe Coty died doing what he loved, while in a class at the shooting range where he was an instructor. Unfortunately, on this day, he suffered a fatal heart attack. Joe had been through a lot recently, as he cared for and suffered with his wife battling, and finally succumbing to, cancer. Joe was scheduled to test for 3rd Kyu in the fall of 2015. He will be missed. We have a running joke at the Dojo... I will think of Joe next time Sensei says "OK, everybody grab a Jo(e)."
Joe and I weren't very close, in the normal sense. But it's hard not to feel a sense of closeness when you spend time on the mat together with someone. You sweat together, put hands on each other, and cause each other pain and frustration. Sometimes, without meaning to, you even injure each other. It's this very closeness that makes it hard for beginners to become regulars. Joe didn't let any of that stop him.
I hope that, when I'm 68, I have the same passion for life, and for Aikido, that Joe did.
