In three days' time, Cuchulain with a moan
Stood up, and came to the long sands alone:
For four days warred he with the bitter tide;
And the waves flowed over him, and he died.

Dr. John Kenny died last Thursday from complications from a brain tumor. He was 66 years old. He was my former astronomy professor at Bradley University.

He was one of the finest, most inspirational teachers I have ever known. For those that know me, I didn't talk about him much, but I cannot tell you how much the guy impacted my life. When in doubt about my education and my career choice, Dr. Kenny showed the way. He stoked my love of the Irish people and culture that has become such a part of my life. He even found his way in not one but two plays I have written.

This is from his daughter's website, which chronicled his battle with glioblastoma multiforme.

A memorial service will be held at St. Mark's Catholic Church in Peoria at 9:30 am Saturday, September 4. From 11 am to 1 pm, a reception will be held at the Bradley Student Center. After that, Michael Kenny has planned a memorial service at Jimmy's Bar in Peoria.

Good bye, John. I hope you had a good life, and I am glad to hear that your family was by your side when you passed. And I hope you were thinking about Yeats.

Though I am old with wandering,
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone.
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done,
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.