Philip Bruce Buck

Earlier today, friends of my cousin Phil started posting messages on his Facebook page.  They were mourning his passing.

I didn't believe it at first.  I hadn't even heard that Phil was sick, and I was convinced that someone had mistakenly posted something about his death and everyone else just assumed it was correct, the way these sorts of cascades often start on social media.

Then Phil's mother called my mom to tell her that Phil died Saturday, of liver failure.

He would have turned 54 in a few days.

There's a funeral to attend this week, plus I'm having a hard time processing this, so I may not post for a little while.