A buddy of mine just died

[John H.]

I just wanted to take a moment to say a prayer for my friend.
I just found out a kid who used to be my best friend just died today. Albert Thomas Zizzamia was absolute best friend in the world when i was growing up as a kid. His mother used to babysit us as infants. We lived 5 houses apart, and were unseperable as children. Then, entering middle school, his parents got divorced, he moved away within town and we kinda lost touch. We were practically strangers once high school came. Then this past summer, he came to my college graduation party. It was the first time i'd even seen him in at least 5 years, nevermind talk to him.

I guess his longtime girlfriend of 8yrs whom he recently married, whom he loved deeply, up and told him she didn't want him anymore and wanted him to move out . He commited suicide. He was 24years old. Now his "wife" has the nerve to tell his mother she wanted him cremated and she wants 1/2 his ashes. What nerve.

To everyone: Please don't take anything for granted, especially life. Every single day is a gift.

At least i got to see him once more.
My prayers go out to his mom, dad, brother and sister.
Rest in Peace, Al

Hi Flex,

I am very sorry to hear this. I completely understand. Words do not do this situation any justice....

In a situation such as this it is best to move on - always remember who you are (meaning anyone here) and NEVER allow someone else to get you so "down" that you can not move on - moving on is the very best thing to do - hard I know, DAMN hard sometimes, but there IS someone else who DOES LOVE AND CARE FOR YOU HONESTLY. And they are probably looking for you too. Never give up - LIFE IS WORTH LIVING AND ENJOYING.

Take Care, John H.

 

[nikegurl]

so sorry flex.

 

[naturaltan]

Hey Flex ... sorry to hear about your lose. My thoughts goes out to you and those affected.

You make a great point that is usually only highlighted in grief, don't take life/family/friends for granted.

take care
Stephen

 

[soxmuscle]

My thoughts, prayers, and everything in between are with your freind's family, you, and everyone affected by this tragedy.

 

[adrien_j9]

Flex, how are you doing today? I hope your day is bright. I hope that you are remembering your friend who died and that a smile comes to your face due to the wonderful memories you have. Please know that you are in my thoughts. He must have been an incredible person to be remembered so highly by you. You were blessed to have him in your life. You're in my prayers.
{{{{{{{{BIG HUG}}}}}}}}}}}

 

[Flex]

WOW. that's the only thing that comes to mind.Thank you, everyone, SO much for your kind words, sincerity, compassion and wisdom. It really helped alot, more than you guys know.

GBC-thanks hun. hugs right back at you

BO-thanks brotha.

Fire-thanks buddy, i appreciate it.

Rex-i appreciate your sympathy

OD-thanks for your kind insight and wisdom. you have a nice way of putting things.

Saph-thanks babe.

John H-thanks for your compassion and kind words.

Nikegirl-thanks girly.

Nattytan-thanks bro.

Soxmuscle-thanks man. (go sox!)

and finally Adrien. Thank you so much, hun. Your words are a true testimate to you as a person. What a wonderful person you must be. I can only imagine what you must be going through. I think to myself how hard this was for me, and i wasnt even close to teh guy, ya know? Sure he was my best friend as children, but we barely spoke come age 13, and once in hs we never did. I hadn't even seen him in 6yrs until this past summer. So i can't even fathom how tough it must be for you and what you're going through. Alls i can say is you have to cherish the memories that you had with your loved one. Tomorrow is another day, babe


The wake was Wed. night. That was the hardest part. Seeing pictures of him when he was a kid (what a cute kid too, i may add) brought back so many fond memories. Seeing his father cry unbearably was very hard to take. It reminded me of when my grandfather died 7 yrs ago. Seeing our parents cry, the very people who are so tough and can handle and control everything, really gets to me.

The funeral on Thurs. was a beautiful service. Al was a volunteer fire fighter, and before he went back to school to become a teacher, he served on a post 9-11 security commission for the state of CT. They tried to highlight that fact during the service, that Al was so intent on helping others that he forgot to care for himself.

I was a paulbearer, and had the honor of helping carry his casket to his final resting place. We then went to a nice lunch at a fancy restaurant after and said our final goodbyes.

Once more, thank you all so much for your kindness. It is greatly appreciated.

 

[adrien_j9]

How lucky for you to be a part of his ceremony!!! I WISH I could have been there for Eriks! It must have been a great farewell, considering the alternative. His family must have thought very highly of you to honor you with pallbearer! I'm jealous!!! Seriously though, I'm so glad it was closure for you. I hope your days are brighter now!!

If you ever need someone to talk to, I know exactly how you feel and seem to spend more of my days in front of this computer than anything else. Send me a message!

 

[bryansflint]

I am deeply sorry for your loss, however I must point out several things. First off, this is Bryan Flint Jr., his wife's brother. I can understand how you would think she is to blame. A few things you must know are as follows....

Al and I were very VERY close... I miss him very much and will always love him. my sister feels the same. I would have given anything to tell him this one last time before he left. He was disappointed to hear that his wife didn't approve of the life he was living and he retaliated in the most drastic of ways. He not only killed himself, but he killed his family and friends... including both you and I. In his suicide note/will he wrote something along the lines of the following...

"I would like my body to be cremated and my ashes to be spread at Cape Cod."

His family wanted a body, my sister wanted to honor his wishes. After several days of restlessness, my sister (who had the right to do whatever she wanted) decided to let his family have a traditional burial in order to help ease their pain. If you'll remember from the wake/funeral, his mother, Sharon, was thankful for this decision. I really don't mean to hurt you anymore, I just believe that it will help if you know the entire story. Thank you.

And by the way, I was wearing a blue shirt at the wake, gray at the funeral... I was there for the entire time both days... I was the one crying his eyes out... I took the picture of him looking at the Pagani Zonda in Hartford if you caught that one.

Again, we're all very sad about all of this, but know that there's a friend in me and everyone else. My e-mail address is bryansflint@aol.com if you would like to talk more.

 

[John H.]

WOW. that's the only thing that comes to mind.Thank you, everyone, SO much for your kind words, sincerity, compassion and wisdom. It really helped alot, more than you guys know.

GBC-thanks hun. hugs right back at you

BO-thanks brotha.

Fire-thanks buddy, i appreciate it.

Rex-i appreciate your sympathy

OD-thanks for your kind insight and wisdom. you have a nice way of putting things.

Saph-thanks babe.

John H-thanks for your compassion and kind words.

Nikegirl-thanks girly.

Nattytan-thanks bro.

Soxmuscle-thanks man. (go sox!)

and finally Adrien. Thank you so much, hun. Your words are a true testimate to you as a person. What a wonderful person you must be. I can only imagine what you must be going through. I think to myself how hard this was for me, and i wasnt even close to teh guy, ya know? Sure he was my best friend as children, but we barely spoke come age 13, and once in hs we never did. I hadn't even seen him in 6yrs until this past summer. So i can't even fathom how tough it must be for you and what you're going through. Alls i can say is you have to cherish the memories that you had with your loved one. Tomorrow is another day, babe


The wake was Wed. night. That was the hardest part. Seeing pictures of him when he was a kid (what a cute kid too, i may add) brought back so many fond memories. Seeing his father cry unbearably was very hard to take. It reminded me of when my grandfather died 7 yrs ago. Seeing our parents cry, the very people who are so tough and can handle and control everything, really gets to me.

The funeral on Thurs. was a beautiful service. Al was a volunteer fire fighter, and before he went back to school to become a teacher, he served on a post 9-11 security commission for the state of CT. They tried to highlight that fact during the service, that Al was so intent on helping others that he forgot to care for himself.

I was a paulbearer, and had the honor of helping carry his casket to his final resting place. We then went to a nice lunch at a fancy restaurant after and said our final goodbyes.

Once more, thank you all so much for your kindness. It is greatly appreciated.

Hi Flex,

I just lost a real good lifelong friend at age 43 from cancer (cigarettes) so I truly understand what it is like to loose someone you care about.

Take Care, John H.

 

[Johnnny]

Sorry to hear about your best friend Flex.

That's a sad storry. My prayers are with you & your friends family

No disrespects but that is a cold hearted bitch of a wife if you ask me.

I apologize if I'm out of line here, but that's just how I feel.

My fathers 9yr house keeper's son tried to commit suicide b/c of a girl who broke it off with him. He drove into a garage & left the car running to poison himself with carbon monoxide but a security guard managed to find him.

He learned his lesson now & never worries that much about getting dumped or ending a relationship.

A girl/woman IMO is never worth a life.

Again I apologize if I've said anything out of line here.

 

[jvswerbo]

Sorry for butting in but....

I heard about Al's death and did a search on the net to figure out who he was. When I saw his picture on the obituary site I couldnt believe it was "that guy". I went to South Windsor High also. I can't say that I knew Al but I saw him all the time. He was in my brother's grade and from what I heard, he never bothered anybody and was a really nice guy. I'm sorry to hear about the circumstances that led to his death. Bobby Halvorsen from South Windsor CT died today also. He was a construction worker and fell to his death into a boiling vat of roofing tar. He was married with a new baby. South Windsor has lost 2 great guys. My prayers go out to Al's family...

"Yeah, though I walk through the valley in the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for You are with me."

J.Swierbutowicz

 

[oaktownboy]

damn man i feel sorry for ya..see what women can do to men...jesus..put him in my prayers bro- J

 

[camaroguy72]

how I came about this topic I have no idea... but I know about this guy and I actually know his wife? through the motorcycle community... sorry to hear man. 2 sides to every story, and im not gonna choose which one to believe... but a death is a death and although its like a year later, sorry for your loss. I just saw the last name and read the story and it sounded too damn familiar

 

[Vieope]

Weird.

 

[camaroguy72]

Weird.

tell me about it