Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Diamond Diary by Kevin Cooney
12/18/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Dec. 18, 2002
A Death in the Family
Jose Somarriba passed today from this life. He left behind a loving family that will deal with his loss, thankful that his struggle with ALS is over. When death comes suddenly to someone, his family is forced to cope with an unexpected loss. We all feel that when a person has been ill over a period of time, it makes it somewhat easier to handle. That is true to an extent, but the hurt is still tough to bear.
I knew for some time that my Dad was dying. It was hard to sit by his bed in his last days and pray for God to take him so that he wouldn't suffer. There was an immediate feeling of relief the day he died. I felt better for my mother who had carried the burden of his care, now she could rest. But at that final moment, when I slipped the game ball from the 1985 regional championship that my Montclair team had won, into his coffin, the finality of it hit me hard.
As time passed, I think that I miss my father more than I ever imagined possible. It's not like we had a typical close father son relationship, but I always felt that there was something very special unspoken between us. It may have been that he was a character with a cutting sense of humor, maybe that we looked so much alike. I don't know.
He comes to my mind during special times since he left. Whenever one of the little kids does something cute or loving, or whenever the two big ones make me proud. I see him in the eyes of the proud fathers of my players during the season. Mr. Nesmith after the Iona game, Mr. Brown and Mr. Biernbaum on tv in crowd shots at the regional, Mr. McNab barely able to walk or talk in Tuscaloosa, Mr. Lopez at Stetson and then in Alabama, and a guy named Cooney who joined the group in being proud of his boy.
There was one who wasn't able to see any games last year. Jose Somarriba lived for the days that Gabe would get home and tell his Dad about his day. He never failed to brighten up and have a better day because of the presence of his son. You could say that Gabe was giving back to his Dad all that Jose had given Gabe.
Jose and Maria Somarriba raised a fine young man. Each of us that has been lucky enough to have Gabe in our lives is thankful to his parents. They gave FAU a great gift, and FAU remembers them in this time of sadness. But in the darkness of grief we need to remember that Mr. Somarriba can be measured by that which he has left behind.
As we celebrate a season where people believe that a father gave the precious gift of his son, we all need to look to our families for strength. Parents and children are caught up in a dance of life wherein things don't always go smoothly. In the constant struggle to be themselves, the kids don't always see the parents' side. The reverse is also true. We parents are so concerned with the wellbeing of the children that the messages don't always get through.
The final thing to remember is that we are one and the same. The father is the son. In Gabe's case, that is a good thing.
To all the members of the Somarriba family, our prayers are with you during this time. KC
