Is Life So Fragile.............A Radio Story

In the mid to late 1990's when I started do part-time sports at the old WISL 1480 AM and 95.3 FM, there were two men deejaying at the station.  The legendary "Morning Mayor" of Shamokin Tom Kutza and his sidekick John Berry were still piloting the airwaves at the airwaves.

I had the pleasure of meeting John a few times and wished me well in my endeavors at the station and always good luck.  John, however, was battling cancer that proved to be terminal.  I knew of John's wife Carol and his two older sons Mike and Brian.  I also found out there was a third son named John who was around 12 when a fundraiser was held for his father at the Mother Cabrini Youth Center.

Early this past Friday morning, John was fatally injured in a car accident while on his way to work.  He was 25.

Also involved in the accident was Margaret Barbarito who is a teacher in the Southern Columbia school district.  Barbarito was treated and released.

John was young and just graduated from Bloomburg University.  Ms. Barbarito was still influencing young lives as a teacher.  I remember years ago running into Brian Berry.  Brian was so proud his younger brother was on his way to study at Bloomsburg.  You don't hear many brothers speak of sibling pride these days.

We try to find purpose, we try to find meaning.  A wife loses her husband to cancer and son to a car accident, while siblings lose a brother.  Their neighbors lose a brother and a friend.

This Christmas season cherish the time with your friends and family.  When all is said and done, they are all we have.