Remembering Sifu Dan

I am going to take a different tact for this week. I've been giving thought lately to people who are deceased or who have had an impact on my life, or the life of my family. I thought it would be nice (and hopefully interesting) to memorialize them if you will, on these pages.

The first person, and note they are in no particular order (though I intend to "save" the person who had the most impact on my life for last) is my former kung fu instructor, Sifu (Sifu by the way, means "teacher" or "instructor"). Dan. Interestingly, I only knew Sifu Dan for about three months or so. I sincerely wish I knew him longer.

Sifu Dan was a giant of a man, both literally and figureatively. He was 6'11, skinny in a lean, sinewy way, had the longest limbs you've ever seen and was bald as a stone. In a nutshell, he was intimidating as hell looking. The first time I saw him I wondered to myself whether he had Marfan's Syndrome, which proved to be prescient.

The one thing Sifu Dan commanded unlike any human being I have ever met, was total and complete respect. Both my kids took Kung Fu and there were several times when I walked into class and kids were just running amock; three, four and five year olds with the attention spans of a flea (and I include my kids here as well). But when Sifu Dan walked into the room and yelled "line up" -- man, you've never seen kids haul ass so fast in your life. They "lined up" and they knew better to mess around. They stood there shoulder to shoulder awaiting his next command, not moving a muscle. It was a sight to behold. It goes without saying that he had the same impact on adults as well.

His classes were often brutal; it's been more than three years and I still have visions of him yelling "kick. kick. kick" endlessly as we suffered like it was Ironman. He was a tough teacher but outside of class, he was a great big teddy bear. The kids absolutely adored these guys and for the adults, it went beyond that.

I will never forget the day that they told us, after a two month absence that they tried to cover up to protect the kids, that Sifu Dan had passed away due to a heart condition brought upon by Marfan's. My initial reaction was one of shock and my next reaction was "how in the hell am I going to explain this to The Boy."

So we did what parents do and said that Sifu Dan went to heaven. The kids, as to be expected, didn't fully grasp the concept, but you could sense the sadness in their eyes.

The parents and adult students had an even harder time coping. For many, I suspect Sifu Dan filled a void and became a father figure of sorts. For others he was a notable (and noble) athlete who had ascended to the highest levels of his sport.

For me personally, he was a great, great guy who as mentioned, commanded total and complete respect. I am immensely thankul of the positive impact he had on my son. I am amazed to this day at his selflessness. Even today, we talk about Sifu Dan. The Little Boy's memory of him may have dimmed a bit, but I suspect he'll never forget him.

Nor will I.

Rest in peace, Sifu Dan.