I Sincerely Respected, Admired, And Appreciated ...

I sincerely respected, admired, and appreciated CBS 2 Chicago’s morning anchor Randy Salerno, who was tragically killed in a snowmobile accident on Thursday, January 24, 2008, in the Eagle River Area of Wisconsin, only 20 days after his forty-fifth birthday. That morning I had watched him on the 11:00 a. m. news as I finished my daily workout at the Kankakee Area YMCA. The next morning at the Y I heard her colleagues announce the news of his untimely passing.

On Wednesday, January 30th, my car doors were frozen shut; I did not make it to the “Y”; therefore, I was one of the almost 70,000 persons that watched the live cam broadcast of Randy’s inspiring funeral. His wife Irene was the final one to speak at the service and paid this tribute to Randy: “Randy was my soul mate, and throughout our twelve years together I can honestly say that love only grew. There was never a day went by but what he would tell me how lucky he was and how much he loved me and our children.” [SOURCE:http://cbs2chicago.com/video/?id=39226@wbbm.dayport.com].

Randy Salerno was a magnificent role model for his wife and children, for the youth of Chicago and our entire region, and for all husbands, fathers, and would-be husbands, and fathers whose lives he touched. Our American churches and society need many more such role models for our youth to emulate today.