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In Honor of My Sister

In a matter of hours, WVU will be kicking it off in Stillwater against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Like any other weekend that my beloved Mountaineers are playing, there is a feeling of excitement and nervousness. However, this weekend there is a third dimension, sadness.

On Monday, I learned that my sister was going to be moved to a Hospice facility to live out her remaining days. She has been battling several health issues over the past few years, including a very aggressive type of Multiple Sclerosis, which has simply worn her down. Understandably, most people reading this may not understand how I could even be writing about football and life in the same sentence, considering the circumstances. On the surface, I couldn't agree more. However, what most people fail to realize is that it truly is more than just a game, especially for anyone from West Virginia.

There are three years separating my sister and I, she being the oldest. We were both born and raised in Bridgeport, WV, a small town less than an hour south of Morgantown. I attended WVU as an undergrad, while my sister attended West Virginia Wesleyan. As luck would have it, going into my sophomore year, my sister was admitted into the WVU College of Law. As a result, my roommate for the next two years had been chosen.

Certainly, there are hundreds of stories I could tell about the shenanigans that went on during my stay at WVU, however, I have two young daughters and I don’t wish to give them any ideas. Despite all of the distractions and exploration of High Street’s back alleys, I finally succumbed to graduation after five and a half years. My sister meanwhile graduated from law school in the planned two years. That’s not to say she didn't make her way to a few of Morgantown’s finest establishments, like the Wooden Nickel, Crockets Lounge, and Bucks Place. Yeah, I realize I’m showing my age.

Following graduation, my sister remained in West Virginia for a few years putting her law degree to good use. She even became a partner in a small firm in Clarksburg before deciding to leave for North Carolina to pursue a relationship with her high school sweetheart and fellow WVU alumnus. Eventually, they married and have two wonderful young boys.

I too moved from West Virginia to pursue a career in engineering and construction. With the exception of a short stay in "Eastern" Virginia, I have been in Florida ever since leaving Morgantown in 1995. As with anyone over the course of 19 years, there have been ups and downs. But, one thing that always remained constant during that time was the bond we had with family and friends, many of which we met while attending WVU.

Not a day goes by that I don’t miss the Mountain State. My family and friends have always talked about the fact that despite living in other places for so long, West Virginia will always be home. If fact, my sister and her husband had planned to eventually retire there and live on his family’s farm. For this reason, my sister will be laid to rest back in the place where she belongs.

While I won’t be traveling to be with her until Sunday, I will take comfort in watching WVU take the field against OSU. Not because I’m a rabid Mountaineer fan that has put a "meaningless" football game ahead of his family. Rather, it is because of what it truly provides, which is a sense of home and connection with another human being that bleeds the same gold and blue.

John S. Crane

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