This past Friday evening, I read a friend’s post on Facebook like no other.

Bill Eberle, Operations Manager at Rosendale Dairy, wrote a tribute to his friend and co-worker Brian Ramel. Brian lost his fight with cancer earlier that day, at the age of 25. I never met Brian, but after reading the following tribute that Bill wrote about him, I think you’ll agree that these sincere words are a reflection of both men’s character and compassion.

With Bill’s permission, here is his tribute to Brian that he posted on Facebook, shared in its entirety…

“My hero’s name is Brian Ramel. I met Brian 10 years ago when he was 15. He was a farm kid from Random Lake who was suffering from Myoblastoma, a rare incurable form of childhood cancer. Brian was very sick, and it was unclear at the time if he would make it. He survived but still had tumors wrapped around his spinal cord. As a matter of fact, his entire adult life was a battle of chemo, radiation, flare-ups, and the greatest emotional roller coaster any family could endure.

Brian’s family was the essence of strength. It was never-ending hospital visits, hopes up, hopes dashed, and all the while operating the family’s 150-cow dairy farm that required the kind of dedication and work ethic that most people couldn’t fathom.   

There were a few years in there when Brian was in pretty decent shape. It was during that time that I got him a job as a herdsman at Tidyview Dairy. He was absolutely loved by the guys there. His work ethic was second to none even compared to people who weren’t carrying the burden of fighting cancer.   

Being a herdsman is a very physically demanding job. Being on your feet for 12 hours a day is not uncommon. Brian did this while his body again began to deteriorate. The years of radiation on the tumors on his back left him in chronic pain. He had to give up the job he had grown to love. Luckily a few years later when we were starting Rosendale Dairy he had again improved enough that he could come and work for me and I could have him work as an equipment operator so his medical issues wouldn’t hinder him as much as when he was a herdsman. Again he was loved and admired by everyone around him. 

The other amazing trait that Brian has is his faith. Throughout the years of pain that frankly I don’t even want to think about, Brian’s faith in God never wavered. An introvert by nature, Brian never pushed his faith on me, even though he knew I was only beginning a relationship with God and really needed some help in that department. He didn’t have to. He lived it and lead by example. Not by reciting bible passages, but by being the most pure, giving, compassionate, good human being I ever met. I once asked him, “Brian, how could you not think that you got a shitty deal from God?”    

He looked at me like I had lizards crawling out of my eye sockets and said “Bill, I get to come to work, drive the biggest equipment there is, be with my buddies, then go home to my family that loves me. How is that a shitty deal?” That from a 25-year old kid.   

In Brian’s final days in this world, I tried to explain to him how much I admired him. I hope he finally realized after all these years of our friendship that while he was looking admirably at me because I was blessed and fortunate to be living my dream of running the operations of the largest farm in the state, my level of character, compassion, and goodness could never be in the same galaxy as his. In other words, while there is nothing more flattering than knowing he looked up to me, the whole time all I ever wanted was to be more like him.   

Today, while surrounded by his family, Brian got to leave his broken body and go pack silage pile in heaven. It gives me an immense amount of comfort thinking of him in that 9630 with the 18′ blade commanding that fleet of trucks like he always has for me, only this time he smiles the whole time. No more pain, no more fatigue, just up and down that pile all day long without a care in the world.   

A person’s faith is a personal thing. We all have our beliefs and our relationship with God. That being said, I can’t help but think Brian stuck around fighting for so long for a reason. Maybe I’m being incredibly selfish to wonder if God kept him here as long as he did for me. I guess I won’t know until its time for me to go see my good friend. I can’t wait to see how big his dairy is when I get there.”   -Written by Bill Eberle on September 28, 2012

This week, as Brian Ramel’s family and friends gather to mourn and celebrate Brian’s short life, many people in the dairy industry will be gathering in Madison at World Dairy Expo to see the most innovative equipment and exceptional cows in the world.

And although most visitors to World Dairy Expo share Brian’s appreciation for world-class cows and machinery, the reality is… Expo week is a special time of year because new friendships are made and old ones get rekindled. Ultimately, it’s the people in our industry that make it what it is.

Over the next few days, when you’re checking out the Show Ring or walking from one exhibit to the next, please take a moment to remember Brian and all the other men and women that have gone before us to help make the dairy industry what it is today.

No, the friends we’ve made while working together in the dairy industry will probably never have a building named after them, but their impact on our lives will be just as great.

In just 25 years, Brian Ramel lived a full life… full of love, courage, and kindness. Hopefully someday, when it’s our turn to go, we’ll have friends and co-workers by our side who can say the same about us.