Saturday, April 29, 2006, 11:59 pm 

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Rick always had the funniest sayings! One of my favorite was "balancing on your head while stacking bb's" I can still hear him saying it! Rick Squires came into my life in the Spring of 2002. I was facing a very tough time within my marriage and I set up an appt. for marriage counseling. Little did I know that my life would change dramatically after seeing him. I did see him for counseling but unfortunately my husband never attended. At this time he introduced me to al-anon. He all but forced me to go and I am eternally grateful. I learned a lot about myself and unfortunately that my situation would not change but would only worsen. He counseled me for about a month and a half and finally said you don't me you just need a support group. I was sad to say goodbye to Rick Squires but he gave me tools & encouragement to face one of the most difficult challenges of my life-my spouses drinking. To this day I cannot believe it has been four years since he helped me through that tough time. Today I am a different person and have completed many things over these 4 years including my Masters. I remember talking to Rick about him getting his Masters and how he encouraged me to get mine. He said he worked so hard for it and it meant so much to him. I really enjoyed the stories he told about his life--they were funny when he told them but when he went through those times they weren't so funny. He also mentioned how I would find "love beyond my wildest dreams" and that is how he described his & Sharon's love for each other. He was passionate about his job, his life, his kids and his wife and it clearly showed. I still have Ricks business card in my wallet and as I go through my wallet looking for other things I take it out and reflect on the tough times that ultimately got me that card and where I have come since then. On the back of his card he had the saying "no matter how the lyrics of your life are written, how you play the song is up to you." That is the absolute truth! Life hands you lemons you make lemonade! We all have choices and I made the choice to start a new life. Without Ricks encouragement I am not sure I would be here today. Thank you Mr. Squires! I will pray for you & your family. Shannon elise Frenyea

Connie, I can totally relate to your feelings about looking at someone else's life. I have lost both of my parents and felt the same way. My comfort was knowing that they, like your father, had lived full, meaningful lives, and now God needed them in Heaven with Him. No matter how old we are, we are children to our parents and when we lose one, it changes how we see ourselves. You are in that transition while your Dad is in his transition. Thanks for the nice conversation we had yesterday. Sharon and Connie, you asked that we share some of our memeories of Rick with you. I remember as if it were yesterday, interviewing Rick for the job of Family Advocacy Treatment Manager at Ramstein. I had no treatment staff at that time and a huge caseload yet Rick was eager for the challenge. I showed him the office he would have and apologized that the furniture was a bit mismatched but that I hoped to order better and more child-safe pieces soon. He turned to me and said," As long as the ceiling is not going to fall in on me, I want to take this job." I thought that a strange reply until he told me that at one of his recent jobs, the ceiling had litereally fallen in on him while he was sitting at his desk and he was not about to work in another building with that possibility! For several months, he and I were the only clinicians handling the large number of both child and spouse abuse cases. He never complained and always had a great sense of humor. We worked long hours but he was devoted to helping everyone he could. He was famous for asking me permission to use his "2x4 therapy" on abusers who were resisting treatment. I always had to tell him he couldn't use it, and I smile every time I think of him teasing me about it. When we added Anne and Belinda to our treatment staff, we had an awesome treatment team and Rick always provided the humor we needed to keep going in such a draining profession. And he never let any of us stay in the office alone afterhours. He was always there to support us. He put in many "I do it because I care" hours even though it was against the GS system rules of overtime. He wrote a letter of counseling for my signature telling him that he was not authorized overtime and if he worked more than 40 hours a week, he did so without pay. He told me that there was no way he could do this job in good conscience withourt extra hours but didn't want me to get in trouble with civilian personnel. "So just put this letter in my record so there's proof that I've been warned an let's get on with helping those who need us," he said. Good thing I had that letter because one morning he apologized for making the security police blotter the night before. He had come back to the office after I sent him home at 7 PM and didn't leave until 11:30 PM. Security Forces weren't thrilled about this and had him spread eagle on their cop car wanting to know what he was doing there at that hour. He was working on his case presentations for the Family Adcovacy Comittee the next morning. He had an especially complicated case and wanted to make sure his presentation was the best it could be for the advocacy of that child. Working late into the night was no big deal to him and it didn't take much for him to convince the SFs that he was doing necessary work. Rick's life is about helping others, be it as a social worker, a friend, a family member, or just a human being. There was nothing selfish about him and I often wonder where he found his never ending supply of energy, love, compassion and strength. I am blessed to have worked with him and have him a a friend. I learned so much from him and his spirit and Language of the Heart will always be with me. Love, Retta (alias Col M-D)

Where to begin? First off, as it has been stated so many times before, Rick, Sharron, Connie, Richard, and the rest of the Squires clan, your family consumes my prayers and thoughts. It is magnificent to know that there is a beautiful life to come after all this. One without pain or sorrow but happiness and joy and that Rick will be there to embrace all of us when we get there in our own due time. And it is truly amazing that one family can bring together so many people throughout the world to weave a network of support. Rick holds a very dear piece of my heart, the piece of ones heart that loves a father. There are so many things to say, I feel so limited by typing them. One of my fondest memories of Rick was how he became a part of my first real adventure. At the age of 12 my mother and I were getting ready to move to Ramstein, Germany and Mr. Squires was our sponsor. He was the person who helped us get our feet on the ground and essentially fathered us during our initial shock of moving to a foreign country. Rick went out of his way to introduce us to Ramstein Air Force Base, long before my mother and I were due to leave. You see, Rick video taped the base showing us everything. He showed us my mother’s office, the high school, the BX, the Commissary, the Enlisted Club, the Officers Club, the gym, the food court at the BX, Landstuhl Castle, and some of the German countryside. The only thing Rick forgot to show us a picture of was his face. By the time it was ready for my mother and I to leave, we still had no clue what Rick looked like, we knew his voice, but no idea on who to look for at the airport when we arrived in Germany. Both my mother and I floundered a bit when we arrived, we stood culture shocked, scared, homesick and jet lagged outside the doors to customs at Frankfurt International Airport when a fast paced, bustling man approached with a sign that said “Ann Walker” my mother’s name. His smile was what brought me to my center, there was a feeling of home there and a sense of relief and it was then that I knew I didn’t need to be homesick any longer. Rick was the first man to give me diamonds. He told me he wanted to be the first man in my life to give me something special like that. Rick took me to see my first castle. I will never forget my first day in Germany when Rick who was so excited to share Germany with us, kept my mother and me up all day to show us the little nooks and crannies of what would become our corner of Germany. I will never forget him whipping me into shape over Thanksgiving dinner my first year away from my family. He told me that the people in Germany were now my adopted family and to enjoy the time that I had with them too. My heart is heavy because I have not spent all the time I would have liked to with you Rick. You are such an amazing influence in my life and I cherish all the memories and stories that I have with you. Thank you for stepping in so many times for my real father. Thank you for showing me what fatherly love is all about. Thank you for loving me the way that I am and for making me feel like an amazing woman. I love you to infinity and beyond. I know that your same kind face, sparkling eyes, and welcoming smile will be there to greet me and so many others when I arrive in Heaven. That same smile that feels like home will be there to be my sponsor again, in God’s Kingdom.

There are not enough words to express all the love and support for Sharon, Rick, and family. You are all in our prayers and thoughts.

I mlust apologize for the mistakes in our message. My eyesight is so bad that I could not see ther errorss. Next time I shall write in caps. Nadis A. Davis

We went to thr 1000 class mass. We prayed for the whole family. I cried through "How Great Thou Are/" Wish that we could do more than pray, but on the other hand paryer is so powerful. God's blessing on all. James and Nadis

Just talked with Lou and he was leaving the church service where he said he prayed for you all. He also said that Father Marc sends his prayers and blessings to the entire family. The prayers for you all are constant here and not a meeting goes by where someone doesn't mention Rick and Sharon. Connie you have carried the family legacy by being so selfless at this time and sharing you families time of need with all those that love your parents. I have heard so many great things about you from your proud parents, so I know that the apple has not fallen far from the tree. You are all in my heart and we are all in God's hands as we trudge the road to happy destiny. We have all learned to smile along this journey through AA, God and people like Rick and Sharon. Hugs and one day at a time. Chris

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