The premise of the book “The Five People You Meet In Heaven” (by Mitch Abram) is that when you enter heaven you encounter five people who you might not realize have had a significant impact on your life. When I (hopefully) get into heaven I’m sure that Ed O’Dell will be waiting there to greet me. I first met Ed when him mom, Donna, worked at the hospital and Ed was a tough, rambunctious teenager, always getting into trouble. When he married Cindy and they raised their daughter, Ariel, he became a dedicated husband and dad, and worked hard to build his landscaping and handyman business.
Although our lives couldn’t have been more different, I knew my family and I could always depend on Ed. He watched over our home and our business with great care, playing a significant role in keeping everything in good working order. His gruff sense of humor was only surpassed by his kindness. Having hired him to plow our office parking lot, Ed would also take the time to scrape off the snow and ice from our office staffs’ cars, and would often be on hand to make sure their cars would start before heading home for the evening. He wasn’t asked to do this — it’s just the sort of guy he was — to often show a little extra kindness.
Abram’s book also notes that “Fairness doesn’t govern life and death… if it did, no good person would ever die young.” Ed died too young and he will continue to be sorely missed by me and my family, who always considered him a friend.
Dr. Jerry Roth
West Cornwall
