About a year ago, I lost a friend (age 22 at his passing) very suddenly. He had passed away in his sleep at a friend's house. He was due to graduate with me in May of 2006. We were all in shock for the month after his death, as we all returned to school. The healing process was made a lot easier due to the large number of friends he had, and we all stuck together to get one another through it.

But, a year removed, a lot of us are on our seperate ways, and I can't help but miss my friend.

I've lost relatives to disease and "old age", but losing a friend who was in his prime and ready to enter the world hit me hard. Any tips on dealing with the death of someone at a young age?

Frank, I lost my brother in a car accident when he was 25, and I was 24. It was really awful; but, only time will help heal the wounds.

A woman I know started a memorial scholarship fund in the name of her friend's son who passed at an early age, I thought that it was a nice idea.

Frank, unfortunately I don't have any tips. I wish you the best in coping with your loss. It may sound trite or cliche, time (unfortunately sometimes alot of time) helps to heal the wounds.

It was a shock when it first happened, but like I said, the unity we all had at that time made things a lot easier. It is being on our own that makes things a bit more difficult this time around.

DQ: I am very sorry about your brother.

DQ- I too, am very sorry about your brother. What a tragic loss.

Frank, unfortunately, friends come and go. It's not that they don't remain your friend it just seems that the group spreads out and it gets harder and harder to maintain the connection. Would your group of friends be interested in having a get together, even if it is only once a year? Sometimes that helps.

Banker: I'm actually headed to DC next weekend, and will be having a get together for sure with some of them. I'm sure that will help too.

That's good Frank, that will certainly help. I hope you have a great trip.

My family lost two members, both young and in their prime. Their deaths had profound impact on me (I was also reasonably young), and taught me a hard lesson about taking people for granted.

It sounds like your friends are/were a very important and valuable part of your life. Make sure you find a way to tell them how much they are appreciated before they separate themselves too far. As they say: make new friends, but keep the old...

Keep your memories, and photos/mementos (if you have them) of the friend you lost. Continue to enjoy the things you enjoyed together; they will become even more meaningful. Time alone will not heal wounds if you do not spend it wisely.

11 months ago today I lost my oldest daughter unexpectedly as a lot of you will remember. I can't give you any magic words that will make the pain or missing your friend go away. All I can tell you, as others have, time will help you cope with it better.

I guess I was fortunate then, with being older my core of friends are intact, and as fate would have it one of my closest friends and another friend both lost their daughters in car accidents (unrelated) several years ago, and their support meant a great deal to me and to my ex-wife.

I am not a strong religious person, but I do have a firm belief in God and talking with him, and talking with my Grandfather who I like to think sits beside him, has also helped.

I guess my long winded response can be summed up into it will get better with time, friends and prayer. But the hurt will never go away, or at least it hasn't for me or my ex-wife yet.

I find this is true for myself, also. Time may help heal, but it still leaves scars.

Becca I'm sorry for your loss and you are right about not taking anything or anyone for granted.
Dan, I'm so sorry about your daughter!

Becca and Dan...my heart goes out to you both.

Frank, my heart goes out to you, too. If you don't mind a touch of levity: have you considered a tattoo as a memorial to your friend?

I lost my mother to depression in 2000 when I was 23 with a 17 year old brother. After seven years, the pain is still there but gets better each February when that magic date comes around. Even with family we quickly saw their support and company quickly fade over time, which is normal...life goes on, ours and theirs.

Even as I come up to the anniversary of losing her, I still wonder if I am the only one to remember her or to be touched by her loss. But then need to remember that we all mourn in our own ways, and take comfort in believing that even though we are not all connected any longer for whatever reason, those close to her will take a moment that day to remember her.

It just takes time....the hurt and sad feelings never go away, but they due tend to soften a bit with time. As cliche as it is, it really is true.

Becka...while he was a good friend to me, he was not as close with me as he was with some of his other friends. They're the ones who have considered such things as tattoos.

He was the person that convinced me to get involved in student government my freshman year of college, and I wound up running with him (him for President, myself for Senator) and we both won. He also took me under his wing in the sense he introduced me to life outside my dorm room, aka he taught me how to party.

We also argued nonstop, much like I do with -J- and _X_ on these forums, but the difference was at the end of the day, we'd be drinking 'till 3am.

He was a good friend, and I remember him in my own ways. He was the only man I knew who could pull off a pink shirt and pink tie, or white shirt with a solid neon pink tie. I tried to emulate that, like today wearing a white and pink checkered shirt with a solid pink neon tie. I don't look nearly as good as he did.

This was the release the school put out last year to inform the student body of his death:

http://publicaffairs.cua.edu/news/06ZackBillotte.htm

Good afternoon Frank, and yes what everyone here has to say is true, very true, when I was 20, my father was a Baptist preacher, he and my mom separated, I walked into his house on Dec. 19, 2000 to find hom with his head blown off, we buried him on Christmas eve. It has now been 16 yrs. not a day goes by that I don't remeber him, I still stop in my tracks when I smell Old Spice aftershave, or hear a certain laugh. Although it still hurts, it gets easier ever year, but it still hurts. Time helps and time heals. But memories will last a life time. Hold on to what is good. Live everyday to the fullest and find just the littlest thing to laugh or smile about. That works for me.

Nascar...I am so sorry...I cannot imagine what that must be like...

Being retired military, and having served in far off places, I too have experienced the loss of young friends. One thing it teaches you is to appreciate life and reminds you to treasure friends and to become one yourself.

It has definately taught me to not use the phrase, I am so sorry, is there anything I can do, because I learned that frankly, I wanted to tell people, Hell no, you can't bring him back, so don't even ask such a stupid question. Now, it just I am sorry, if you need to talk, you know where to reach me. It definately gives you a better perspective on how to handle things.

Nascar...that seems like a good way to offer help to others.

But...now...if I can only do something about this Dale Jr. thing you got going....

What about it?????

BIG TIME Rusty Wallace fan here...now cheer on his son Steve in the Busch series...

Right now in Cup...#7...Robby Gordon...love me some Jim Beam.

I was a Rusty Wallace fan, but there is just something about Jr. and Robby Gordon, you talk about the BIGGEST LOSER EVER!!!!! I also like Michael Waltrip.

Robby's no more of a loser then Michael Waltrip...
Michael can only win at Daytona/Talladega...Robby only at Watkins Glen/Sears Point...

BUT...Robby does know how to drive the wheels off them things in off-road and indy cars...