Ben Remembers Friend, Colleague Richard Durrett
The loss of our friend Richard Durrett serves as a painful reminder to live each day like it's your last, to love with a full heart and get over the pettiness that can often drag us down and distract us from being all that we can be. His tragic and sudden loss also illustrates that life is extremely short, beyond fragile and inexplicably cruel at times.
His legacy is one of extreme kindness, a relentless work ethic and an undeniable love of family. Hard to do much better than that.
This was a true family man. An amazing husband and father. A guy who was always smiling, always positive.
When we left ESPN Richard was a half of the show that replaced us. He was great at radio in addition to writing and TV work and should've been thrilled with the opportunity. He called me and was almost apologetic for it. He was thinking about us, not himself. That's how he rolled.
Lots of folks in our business get caught up in the radio war and lose sight of who they are. Instead of being themselves they fly their station flags and relationships with old friends can sometimes tend to wash away. Not with Richard. He never changed. We talked, debated, shared intel, exchanged valuable phone numbers, played basketball - we remained friends.
Last week I introduced him to my sons at a ball game in Frisco. On Sunday he sent me a Happy Father's Day note. So simple. So thoughtful. So Durrett.
The overwhelming outpouring of love and support for Richard and his sweet family from everyone he ever interacted with should serve as a blueprint for all of us to treat people with kindness, patience and warmth at all times. He was one of a kind, but he leaves behind his playbook of secret recipes in how to make a difference and impact lives with everyday kindness.
If he could see this outpouring of love, he would be grateful and gracious - but I feel confident in saying that his every thought and focus would be on making sure that his family is as safe and sound as possible as they move forward in a challenging world without him.
To that end, let's return his kindness and unwavering positive attitude by being there for his family now when he cannot. I know there is nothing that would matter to him more.
When the time comes, if you're able to, please donate to one of the funds that will be set up in his family's name. If you're not able to contribute monetarily, please say a prayer for Richard, his wife and children. I can tell you from experience, few people you'll ever run across are as worthy of such thoughtful consideration.
Hug your loved ones tight. Abandon petty snags in your relationships. Be kind. All the time... and laugh. Laugh a lot. Life is too short.
We'll miss ya, buddy. Look forward to seeing you in Heaven and talking some baseball at some point down the road.
*A memorial fund has been established to help Richard's family:
Richard Durrett Family Fund
c/o Liberty Bank
3880 Hulen St, #100
Fort Worth, TX 76107
and
Richard Durrett Family Fund
Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation
1000 Ballpark Way, Suite 400
Arlington, TX 76011
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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