Brandon Garson

Gabriel Baldinucci 

College Friend

Brandon's Funeral Service - Cleveland, Ohio

January 6, 2006

 

Hi I’m Gabriel. I first met Brandon when we both transferred into Duke in 1995. He was 19 and I was 25. We were roommates in college, we traveled Europe and studied abroad together for 5 months. When I finished grad school we lived in New York together for 2 years, and when we both moved to Miami we lived 2 doors down from each other, until he recently moved to his new place. Over the last 10 and half years I’ve spent more time with Brandon than any other person in my life. We lived through 9/11 together in New York. We even have the same birthday. I watched Brandon grow from an endearing yet not so smooth teenager, into a beautiful man. I’d like to share with you some of the ways I knew him.

 

Brandon was unique and he liked it that way. You never got the sense he was trying to be like someone else. The only person he did want to be like was his father, Gary. Brandon loved his family. He also loved life. When I think of Brandon, I have image of him larger than life coming out of the water with his kite. I would often see his kite go up and down the water along the beach. Brandon had a great work life balance. In every place that we lived, he loved to sit quietly outside with a beer and a cigarette. No matter what was going on in his life, in these moments, he seemed at peace.

 

Brandon was very passionate, but only about certain things, which allowed him to excel. He loved kite surfing, his job, poker, Duke basketball, golf and tennis. We all know how competitive he was, and stubborn. Everything was a game or a competition to Brandon. Whether with someone he cared about or a total stranger, Brandon wanted to win if someone tried to steal his place in line, a parking place, or charge him too much on a check, Brandon would put on his game face, turn red, have a sweat fit and get ready for battle. He loved to negotiate about anything, which also made him great at his job. Brandon loved to beat the system whenever he could. He would find the individual items on a menu that came out less than the combined price not to save the money, but to know he got one over on the restaurant, or at least they didn’t get one over on him.

 

One weapon Brandon used in competition, or just to annoy people, was his amazing ability to get under peoples skin. He would find your buttons and then he’d push them until you were furious. The minute Brandon knew our roommate Jeff was obsessively neat, Brandon would have fun leaving things all over the apartment. With people he cared about he was careful not to go too far. He would laugh and back off to let you know it was just good fun. If he did hurt your feelings he would feel bad and try to make it better. Brandon had a gentle quality about him. And Brandon was actually able to take his kind of teasing, but the truth is nobody was as good at it as he was.

 

This was part of Brandon’s quirky sense of humor. He liked to play tricks on people. He would try to get you believing something as long as possible. His sense of humor was to tell his mother he was hosting a beautiful dinner with paper plates and listen to her get frantic.

Another quality of Brandon’s was that he had very good taste and he had very high standards in every part of his life his wardrobe, the way he ate, how he decorated his apartment, where he lived when we lived in New York we had to live in Soho, when we lived in Miami we had to live in South Beach, and he finally moved into the best building on the beach. Brandon was just as selective with the people who he let in and cared about. In the 10 years I’ve known him, since he was 19 years old, he only let one girl get close to him, and that’s Danielle. If you were lucky enough to be one of his friends, he was the most loyal, dependable and giving friend you could ask for. When you needed him he was there for you. These are the qualities that I remember most about Brandon. Across the time I knew him Brandon gave me his car, his money, his clothes, a place to stay, he let me and my girlfriend use his gym, he offered me a job, he consoled me when my heart was broken and when my father died. The irony is that I always felt like I was Brandon’s older brother, but he gave way more to me than I ever gave to him. Brandon wasn’t a friend, he was family to me. It is rare today that friends will stay together through so many cities and so many chapters of life. We often discussed the future and how we planned to stay in Miami and continue living our lives together.

 

One unique thing about Brandon that all of you may not know is that his heart was on the right side of his chest instead of the left. Maybe because his heart was unique is the reason that he was able to be such a unique and wonderful person in our lives. He can never be replaced, but he can be remembered. For me, I will remember Brandon every time our birthday comes, every time I walk along the beach, every time I watch a Duke basketball game. The list is much longer and is different for each of us, but we can honor him in how we live our lives and how we love our friends and family. I know that I am a better person because of him and I will never forget my best friend Brandon.