J. Murphy
I don’t do much social media so I apologize for any faux pas: Taryn was my roommate in Fla. He was a kind person and a patient teacher; he actually taught me the proper way to fold clothes (Navy style). He taught me how to play “darts” and although I rarely beat him, I was among the best when I moved back to Ohio. Taryn was very proud of his brother, Mike, and missed his dad who had been tragically killed in a blizzard while trying to get his workers’ payroll (my best recollection). I’ve always wanted to travel to Portland, based on Taryn’s colorful stories about living there. One story that comes to mind is when he would stand on a high cliff that was near the ocean and defy gravity by leaning far forward into the strong nautical winds while listening to “Steal’in” by Uriah Heap. He also spoke of very low utilities costs because of the dams in Portland. There were many more great stories from his time in Oregon. In Florida, he and I would watch BBC’s “Red Dwarf” on a 5” b&w TV and laugh with tears. We could have bought a larger TV but that tiny screen was just ridiculous, and that’s something I still hold onto today that I learned from Taryn: a good soul can find novelty in the simplest of things. That’s also a nod to Khalil Gibran (thanks Mike!). My kindest regards to his family and friends and lastly, whenever I think about Taryn, like today for example, I can only smile. -John Murphy
