Editor’s note: Roy Place submitted the following email exchange from his friend Bob Larsen, who penned a poem in honor of Robert Slaughter, who passed away on Aug. 2.
“Last Wednesday (Aug. 2) I assisted in trying to save the life of a golfer that had collapsed on the eleventh hole. It was about 2 in the afternoon. I was inspired by the young mother who had reached the scene before I had arrived. We had 911 on the line and all I could do was encourage her to keep on with the procedure. She was doing CPR and his golfing buddy was breathing the mouth to mouth but it was too long before the medics arrived and we lost him. The young mother was most emotional and did her best and would not let me relieve her so I went back to her car to care for her baby. I sat down later in my garage and wrote the attached short poem bout the loss of this fine man.”
The Twelfth Tee
(In memory of Rob Slaughter)
He died that day
On the 11th green;
Perhaps it was
An ending dream
To play the game
He loved the best
To be his final
Place of rest.
His life-long buddy
Kneeling there
To breathe him last
Of earthly air.
A passerby was
Close at hand
Intent to save
This fallen man,
She pumped and pressed
And screamed aloud!
His life was fleeing
To the cloud.
She was an angel
Sent to his side
He knew how much
She cared and tried
To save his life
For another round,
But to a greater game
He was bound.
Though he died so sad
On hole eleven
He parred the 12th
On the greens
Of Heaven!
Bob Larson
Carson City
