My friend, Med

(re-posted from the original location)
Med, Beth & Noah, 2005, Duxbury, MA

My friend Med Hornecker passed away today. He was only 39, but managed to live a very full life and fought the good fight against a nasty brain cancer for several years. And even during that time, he managed to have a beautiful son with his wife Beth (my best friend) and fully participate in life right up to the end. A week ago we celebrated Noah's 4th birthday in their backyard with friends and family. While it was certainly a bittersweet day, Med was able to be outdoors with everyone. It was a rare blessing at a terrible time.

I write about him here not only because he was my friend, but also because he was a woodworker and builder who's handiwork is part of my business portfolio and in my client's homes.

Med was something of a renaissance man. Here he was playing a waiter in a play.
And this was his set for a production of "West Side Story"


Beth and Med lived in Germany for a few years while Beth sang in "Phantom of the Opera" and this photo was taken in 1997 on my trip over to visit them. This photo was taken on New Years Eve, 1999. Beth and I were giving a First Night recital together (clearly, photo taken before we got dressed up!). It was a wonderful night, followed by hours of eating and drinking and general merry-making. A night to remember!


An avid woodworker, Med made this beautiful hope chest for Beth one year for Christmas.

And this is a mirror he made.

This was Med and Beth's living room, shortly after they moved in. White on dingy white, nasty wall to wall carpet, no window treatments.
We came up with a design plan and Med went to work. First, he pulled up the old carpet and hand sanded and spar varnished the oak floors. He added chair rail and baseboard moldings with bead boarding and painted the upper walls a snappy, breezy blue. The ceiling and fireplace were also painted a bright white. Med even ended up picking the fabric for the window treatments (from a table cloth, no less) and made the rods with finials.


Med was the kind of guy I could call on to help out with lots of handyman type things. He helped me with client projects like picking up big rugs that I couldn't fit in my car - or carry by myself - to hanging artwork in their homes. He could do everything from woodworking to sewing. He was laid back, sometimes to the point of horizontal. While he wasn't a "touchy feely" type guy, he learned to live with our very emotional hug-hug-kiss-kiss group of friends. At 6'5", he was a tall, handsome guy. He'd have to bend low to let me (at 5'2")peck him on the cheek, but he always put up with it with more grace than grimace.

His life was too short, but he lived a full one and leaves behind wonderful memories and a beautiful son who also happens to look just like him.

We'll miss you Med, more than words can say.

Don't forget to hug your family and friends and tell them you love them every chance you get.

Edited to add:

A memorial fund for Noah’s education has been established at Rockland Trust Bank. Donations may be made by sending checks made out to the Med Hornecker Memorial Fund, c/o Attorney Aylene Calnan, P.O. Box 158, Accord, MA 02018.