My eulogy in honor of Rommel (read by Priscilla Cheng) It is unbelievable to me to imagine that Rommel and I met as friends 13 years ago. We were so young back then. He immediately struck me as a “nice guy”. Two years later, after he returned from his tour in Afghanistan, I kept thinking to myself, “What a great guy! Who can I set him up with?” Little did I know, at the time, we would end up together, and the next 11 years would be the happiest of my life. It’s funny, because on paper, Rommel and I had nothing in common. We didn’t like the same movies, TV shows or music. He liked video games, I liked books. He was an adventurous, adrenaline junkie, I was a big scaredy cat. He liked going out, I was a home-body. He was the calm Type-B personality, and I was definitely the anxious Type-A personality. But, somehow, we balanced each other out and had a strong connection. We always understood and accepted each other. With Rommel, I never, ever felt judged. He was always so patient with me, and I knew his love and support for me was unconditional. We made each other laugh and had the same core values. Most importantly, we understood each others’ hearts. Rommel had many passions in life for which he worked very hard, and excelled at. He played music for over a decade, spent over 15 years working in a cancer research lab, and served 9 years in the Army Reserves. To him, everything was mental, and anything could be accomplished if you worked hard enough. This was evident in every aspect of his life, whether it was at work, in the military, learning to salsa dance, participating in crazy obstacle courses or running marathons (even though he admittedly hated running). I truly believe that Rommel was put on this earth to inspire others. Although Rommel could have entered the Army as an Officer, he consciously chose to become an enlisted member so that he could start from the bottom and work his way up. He wanted to have the full experience so that he could be a better leader. He was always pushing himself and others to do better, but at the same time he made sure they had fun and didn’t take themselves too seriously. In the past week, I have heard story after story from so many people whose lives he touched over the years. It warms my heart to hear how well-loved and respected he was, and what a difference he made in his 37 years. Rommel had another very important role in his life, and that was being a father. He always loved being a dad – first to our dogs Phoebe and Mojo, then to our daughter, Hayley. Whatever Princess Hayley liked, Rommel liked. He became quite the expert on My Little Pony, Disney Fairies and Princesses, and Care Bears, just so that they could have a stronger father-daughter bond. Every day, I see so much of Rommel in little Hayley. Not only because she looks so much like him, but also because she is fearless, compassionate, loving, funny, and intelligent. She is also a born performer – just like her daddy. His legacy will always live on in Hayley, and for that, I am so grateful. In the 2 years that Rommel battled Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, he never once complained and was never scared. As we all know, he was not a quitter. As I watched him battle this disease, he faced his illness head-on, and took his treatments one step at a time with a scientific perspective. The rest, he left up to God. This amazing superhero strength and determination that he had to persevere inspired me, and helped me to continue staying strong too. This was our fight, and we stayed strong together. Although his cancer was aggressive, it never affected his spirit. It remained strong until the very end, and I know that he fought courageously, not only for himself, but for all of us. I find peace in knowing that he is no longer suffering. I find happiness in knowing that he will continue to inspire many people for years to come. I am a better person because of Rommel.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 23:04:04 +0000
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