He was a river guy, always chasing the current, with calloused hands and a calm, steady way about him. Mornings found him waist-deep in the water, casting lines or steering his canoe through the mist. He moved like he belonged there, reading the river like a map, knowing when to fight the flow and when to let it carry him. The river shaped him—patient, strong, and always in motion, just like the water he loved.