It is with a heavy heart that I write this entry today. Yesterday, our dear friend, Rob Yllescas passed away after a a hard-fought battle with injuries sustained in Afghanistan last month. I simply do not have the words to express the level of grief and sympathy that I feel for Rob's wife, Dena and their two little girls, Julia and Eva. Last night as I got home and spent sometime alone thinking about Rob and the impact that he has had on our life, I started to go through the photographs and videos that we have of some wonderful memories shared with the Yllescas family. I am completely at a loss for words to express the emptiness that Rob's passing will bring to our family, but I am still filled with several good years of warm memories. I have created this video as a tribute to Rob and the wonderful memories that he has left with Tim and I.
I also have some video footage of Rob from the first summer he had his boat (his pride and joy) and we were all learning to wakeboard. Rob is the one who fueled our passion for boating and wakeboarding and prompted us to buy our boat and continue wakeboarding. I will never get on our boat again without a warm memory of Rob and that summer of 2006 when we spent every weekend together. I'll never forget how Rob used to talk about getting his boat nonstop thoughout our deployment together in 2005. I used to just listen to him talk about how "good things were going to be" when he got back to the US and saw his family and bought the boat he had been dreaming about. It wasn't until I actually started spending time on the boat every weekend that I really began to enjoy it and share Rob's passion. I will get the wakeboarding video posted as soon as I get it rendered.
12 comments:
Thank you so much for this...I know Rob would be very proud of all his friends for how they are grasping Dena and his girls at this time!!! You all are blessings and very much appreciated for all you do!!!
Dena's Uncle,
Wendell Osborn
Kim, this is truly beautiful. I saw your comment on the Yllescas family blog. You who know Rob & Dena and their families are very blessed.
Maggie Goff
Bisbee, Az
Kim, I just watched your video and it is absolutely beautiful, I have tears streaming down my face. I don't even know what to say right now, I am so overcome with grief....poor, sweet Dena is living my very worst nightmare. I just talked to Tim the other day and told him about the latest surgery, he doesn't even know Rob has passed. Hopefully he will call tomorrow.
I just wanted to let you know how much your video touched me.
Julie Quinn
Kim-what an awesome tribute--the tears are flowing again! Friends like you, family, and her loving Lord will get Dena and her girls through this dark valley. I did not know Rob personally, but watched Dena grow up in Osceola. Thank you for this video! Jackie Fjell
Mrs. Decker,
That was just beautiful. I never had the privilege to meet Rob. I have only met Dena and the girls once since Rob deployed this last time. Thank you for sharing this.
Theresa O'Neill
Pleasanton, NE
Kim - I never had the pleasure of meeting Rob or his very strong wife, Dena - but your tribute video is awesome.
Please accept me condolences for the loss of a truly great man, a friend, and a Hero of the first order.
Great video..
It breaks my heart.
Heather
That was an awesome tribute. Thanks for posting that. Rob was a special guy to many people, and it's nice that him, Dena and the girls have many friends like you. God Bless!!!!
Dena's cousin, Pam Helgoth
Absolutely beautiful!
Kim,
Thank you for this gift. How special Rob was to you and how special all of you were to him - that is very apparent.
Vicki Coffin
Kim - what a friend you are. The Tribute is outstanding - what wonderful memories you will always hold in your heart.
God bless you.
What an awesome tribute to Rob. Loosing a dear friend if a very difficult thing. I'm sure Rob is smiling down on all of you right now. Use all of those fun memories to fall back on when times get difficult. I'm glad Rob and Dena had such neat friends.
Hang in there!
Dena's cousin,
Jaime Pachta
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