re: The redfish world lost a great man yesterday...

Today marks the 1 year anniversary of my friends passing... Tough day for me to say the least...



Manny Perez Eulogy by Gritter Griffin:

"Look around you at the sky, the water, the air, the life that abounds all around us. Look at the people gathered here today. Look inside your heart for we are gathered here today to honor and celebrate the life of a man. A very special man. Now a fallen man. A man we all loved, admired, and were proud to call friend, brother, dad, son. A man who, many many times, stood in his boat on this very spot, looked out over this same vista, and felt his heart swell with love. Love for his world, for his life, for the people in his life. Out here Manny lived in a world of perfection. A world he understood like no other. He was drawn to the perfection that is the natural world and he basked in it. It energized him. It reset his clock and filled his soul with a genuine joy.

Manny Perez: How do you describe Manny? What are the words that fit, that work, that complete the description?

Son, Brother, Dad, Friend, Athlete, Intense Competitor, Master Angler, Entrepreneur, Warrior. Yes, all this....and more. So very much more.

What do you say about a man who, in his view, could never be enough, never say enough, never do enough, for those he called friend.

When I think of Manny I cannot help but be reminded of my favorite life quote, the maxim I strive to live every day. It is a quote often attributed to Aristotle -"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." These words epitomize everything that was Manny Perez.

Those of us fortunate enough to have shared in Manny's brief time in this world are better for having had the experience. In fact, the world itself is a better place for having had Manny walk this mortal plane. And while everything in each of our personal worlds may seem to be a little less without him - remember; he lives on in our hearts and in our minds. He has touched us one and all and in some way great or small he has become a part of each of us.

We all have so many MANNY memories. Some of these memories are funny. Some are sad. Some make us laugh. Some make us cry. Some make us sad. Some may even make us mad. But these are the memories that, in so many ways, will inspire us. Inspire us to be better people. To be kinder to each other, to our friends, to our families, and to strangers alike. These are the memories that change who we are, that make us better at everything we do. Inspire us to work harder, to be better, to be kinder, to help.....because that was Manny - always helping. He was always reaching out to lend a hand. He was never too busy to help a friend, a stranger, or a competitor. When he saw a need he never asked what to do or how to do it, he just did what needed doing and got the job done.

We have lost a great friend, a fine man, and an amazing human being but I will tell you this - Manny Perez would not sit still for a single minute if we were to grieve his passing for very long. He would say, "Get on with it!" He would prefer that we celebrate his life, his times, his accomplishments, his dreams. Manny was not very good at asking anyone for anything. He was, however, very good at giving of whatever he had to give to anyone who needed it. He was also very, very good at "getting on with it" and getting the job done - whatever that job may have been. On the field of play, in the workplace, or on the water he neither asked nor gave quarter. He simply did what was needed to finish the task at hand.

And, if that job was to defeat you in competition then woe be unto you because you were in a singularly precarious position from the opening bell.

I have met very few people in any walk of life that were as dedicated, worked as hard, as long, or as intently as Manny Perez. His enormous capacity for work, his boundless energy, his devotion to excellence in all things, and his great and kind heart made Manny Perez a giant among men. A man of character, of drive, of courage, and of vision. He was a man with heart, love, and genuine friendship in his soul for all those he knew and loved.

Manny, today we say goodbye to you one last time. Our friend, our brother, our son, our dad. We will miss your presence Manny but we are so very grateful that you touched our lives. Thank you Manny. Thank you for being you. For living life to its fullest every day and for showing us the way. Most of all, though, we thank you for having been, and continuing to be, a part of each of our lives.

Manny Perez - Your Works live on....."