I Will Still Carry On...

See You At The Crossroads....

Hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day weekend so far. As for me, I've been having a pretty rough week. One of my good friend's father passed away from colon cancer and 2 of my childhood friends were involved in a head on collision which took their lives. Please keep them in your prayers.

Larry Rugg Cannell (1953-2008) beloved husband, father, and friend, passed away peacefully at home among family and friends on May 16, 2008, after a courageous fight against colon cancer.

Larry, son of William and Ila Cannell of Johnstown, NY, excelled in academics and athletics. He graduated with honors from Northern State University (South Dakota) in 1975, having played four years of collegiate football. He earned Master’s Degrees from Texas A&M and Arizona State University. He taught, coached, and impacted the lives of many students and athletes. From rising at sunrise to cook his athletes breakfast to funding trips for national events, Larry was a driving force in the development of many young men and women’s lives. He was pivotal in the development of after school and community based programs wherever he lived. During his career he taught and coached at Albion, NE; College Station, TX; Leavenworth, KS; Tempe HS, and an Assistant Principal in Gering, NE. Larry left education to serve as a Special Agent in the FBI in Louisville, KY.

For the past ten years, Larry has been part owner/operator of the Scottsdale Pavilions Shell Service Station. This family owned business grew and thrived using the philosophy that hard work and helping others is the way a business should be run. Larry called this practice “Going to church everyday.”

Larry loved life and is loved by many people who survive him including his ‘devoted girls’ Nori (wife), Paige and Megan (daughters) and son-in-law Ian. Family vacations, holidays, time spent at the Heber house, golfing, running and enjoying the outdoors, spending time with best friends Jim, Gerry, Tom, Chuck, and Jack, and having a beer with the Pavilions crew were among his most treasured memories.

Jay & Jason Hernandez aka Twin Dragonz (1982-2008)

The first thing I think about when I reminisce about Jay and Jason Hernandez is the Fab 5. You see the Fab 5 consisted of myself, Ike, Eddie G and Jay & Jason Hernandez. We were 5 kids from Chandler, AZ who hung out everyday, terrorizing Hendrix Junior High at will. During those awkward phases of junior high, all 5 of us were in love with the same girl! Her named was Mary Jane. That is how we eventually met one another, competing for the same girl. Every single day we'd meet up with her and hang out with her for hours upon hours. We were so in love with that girl that we all gave in a shared her equally.

When we got to high school, Ike and I attended Dobson High School and Edgar and the Twinz attended Hamilton High School. During those years I had played basketball, Ike was a baseball player, Edgar was a lady's man, and Jay and Jason were rappers. They were also known as the Twin Dragonz. Even though we attended separate high schools and had different interests, the Fab 5 couldn't be broken up.

One thing I've always noticed about Jay & Jason is that they were always motivated in their music. Their lyrics got better and better and so did the production. Its a shame that they will not be able to continue making music. One of their main goals were to put the southwest on the map. Their music can also be heard and downloaded on deciphacity.com.

Another thing I've always noticed about their lives is that they always shared something. Whether it be a bedroom, a car, or a vision for their music, whatever they had, they shared it. Unfortunately on the night of May 23rd, 2008, they shared the same fate, a head on collision on the freeway. They were heading to Rocky Point to meet up with their mom for Memorial Day weekend, when they were involved in the fatal car accident that had ended their lives at the ripe age of 25 years old. R.I.P. Jay and Jason. We will miss ya'll.