My Brother, my best friend
(C) James J Alonzo
This is hard. Honestly, I don’t know how to begin. I know I should begin by saying that we are here not only to remember, but to honor the life of Phillip R Taylor.
But where do I begin to tell you all about the man Phillip was. There was so much to Phillip's life, and so much that I want everyone to know about him.
Phillip's life was so full. He had the son that made his life complete and friends and family who love him. Phillip was my best friend, someone who was always there for me, he was my brother. I want to share every story about mine and Phillip's life as a friend, a brother, partner, and what it meant to me to share that memory with him.
Phillip was a man who lived for life and lived for others. He was never afraid, he feared no man, and he was brave enough to be the man he felt he should be.
I loved the man that Phillip was, and I believe in the things that made Phillip the man he was ,,
are what we all loved about him. Chivalry, justice, honor, compassion, integrity, determination, love, stubbornness, respect, and heart, are words that describe the man Phillip was.
He was loyal to a fault and the words that he spoke rang with the sound of truth, and strength. He was all about goodness and doing what he thought was right for his family and loved ones.
Phillip was the type of man that even when faced with danger that would scare many people, he Never stepped back! He made many arrests with me, and by his self. You see Phillip feared no man.
Dentist needles? Oh yea! You see Phill would pull his own teeth out before he would go to a dentist.
Nothing was more important to family than his family. Even the times some of them took advantage of him. Phillip would forgive.
Phillip learned that a man was responsible for his woman, his children, and his family. And with that responsibility came a lot of heartache but he overcame that and did what needed to be done.
I have known Phillip since 1973, first met Phillip at Buffalo General Hospital security.
Another life lesson Phillip taught me was simply to enjoy life. And did he ever enjoy life.
The most important thing Phillip taught me was how to be a friend. Phillip was a good friend to everyone he loved, even those who at times he found impossible to like. He was friends to some simply because he felt that they needed him to be.
Philip would give you gas money, buy you lunch, give you a place to stay if you had nowhere else to go, or even fight a fight that The odds look bad. He was the one that I can always count on. If I needed anything, Phillip would do everything he could to help me.
Whether it was mowing a lawn, working on a car or just listening to me while I vented he would be there no matter what. He did not only do this for me. He did this for his entire family, and if you were his friend you were his family.
As we reflect on our time with Phillip we remember what it was we loved about him and what we will miss the most about him.
Even in death Phillip has taught me about life. His final lesson was to show the people you love that you have to love them now, because life is short.
People often speak of happiness in tragedy. I never understood this until I witnessed the blessing that came from Phillip's tragic end.
I owe him so much for what he brought to my life. I owe him my life for on two occasions during our work he saved my life. I think we all owe it to Phillip to make sure his memory lives on in us.
At the end of the day I found that it was Phillip's heart that gave me the strength to carry on, and ultimately heal my pain. And I believe that Phillip's heart is big enough to heal us all. And it is Phillip's heart that has allowed me to do what I have had to do so far this year.
People often say the ones left behind are left because they are strong enough to deal with life, but I don’t think this is right. I think Phillip is gone because he lived his life the right way. And those of us left behind are here to learn what Phillip already knew. I want to thank Phillip's family for letting me do this and giving me the honor of celebrating Phillip's love with you all.
This is where most might stop. But in honor of how Phillip lived his life and for all he taught me. In my mind Phillip lived life how it was meant to be lived. Phillip taught us all how to live, laugh, and love. He played the game of life like one played a game of poker. He played to win and he was never afraid too risk it all for the ultimate reward, love.
I am glad that he took a risk on me and shared the rewards. That is the way he lived his life and he showed it through his actions. Even if he made a mistake, it was okay because he thought it was best and he did it out of love.
