It is with a heavy heart that I share the death of a Yuppie Hobo follower. There are so very few but he was one of the best. I can’t convey the amount of respect I hold for this gentleman in a blog post but I’ll give it my best. He raised one of my favorite people, Dr. Jen, and that’s one hell of an achievement. In fact all of his kids are successful and just good humans. Being around his family is always comforting and warm.

“Roos” was a tall guy. Like super tall. And he had a deep kind of booming voice. As a scrawny 5’8 guy with a soft voice, he was a bit intimidating to me. Aren’t all guys intimidated by their girlfriend’s dad at first? He also worked as a union leader which I assumed meant he killed Hoffa. Turns out I was wrong. As his obit says “He was admired by all, looked up to by most, and feared by none.” The moment I knew he was a sweet guy was when I was leaving their house for the first time. Rather than say goodbye to Dr. J, he said “Au Revoir, Simone” and she responded “Au Revoir, Pee Wee.” I couldn’t believe that this giant with this rumbling voice said that to his daughter. He was officially okay in my book.

“Roos” had a much bigger internet following than I ever will. Like me, he enjoyed traveling for non-traditional/themed reasons. Every Friday him and the Mrs. would drive to a different pizza place. This has gone on for years and we’re talking hundreds of slices at hundreds of restaurants. Comments all over social media have been flooding in about how much people will miss his Pizza Friday posts. No one had an unkind thing to say about this man. We should all aspire to be as kindhearted as he was.

He loved music, trivia, his family, and pizza. I love all of those things too. I wish I had the chance to know him better. I’m looking forward to Pizza Friday with him in Heaven where the toppings are always fresh and the cheese goes all the way up to the crust.

In lieu of flowers and prayers, please have a pizza with your friends and family this and every Pizza Friday.