Friends and loved ones are saddened at the passing of Ralph Meeks, aged 58, on Friday of this week. Mr. Meeks was widely known throughout his neighborhood and in his community as a man who took much from others, gave almost nothing back, and who was especially annoying at outdoor parties.
In many ways, he drained the lifeblood of those around him. His parents spent their life savings on him, trying three times to get him to finish college, adding up to 6 years of tuition. His younger sister, Becky, caught malaria from him after an ill-advised impromptu trip he took to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Even though he never was much of a hugger, and hardly ever shook another person's hand, community members will remember him for his constant poking of shoulders and torsos, recalling that he would sometimes even get people on the ear for some reason.
As a teenager, Meeks started a habit of wearing headphones and playing music loudly, so that there was a constant buzzing sound that accompanied him wherever he went. Some appreciated that it at least let them know he was nearby, and they could avoid him.
Meeks was a lover of the outdoors, and could always be found at gatherings, to everyone's dismay. He could smell a neighborhood barbecue from miles away, it seemed, and would often show up uninvited. He never ate anything, but made sure to bother anybody who happened to get close enough, usually initiating contact by poking them, as was his way.
He died from complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a blood disorder that causes a low count of platelets in one's blood stream. Because of his condition, he specifically asked before passing that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to local blood banks.