Rest In Peace

I didn't know Gary Foster of Bakersfield, but I'm getting to know the families he left behind.

And it's not pretty.

In case you don't know, Foster is the local man killed in a Colorado pipeline fire at a hydroelectric plant. He was coating the pipe with epoxy when it caught fire.

Foster was one of five people killed in the fire.

In the days following his death, we talked to both sides of Gary's family. His immediate family and his extended family that includes step-relatives.

I'm not privy to the intimate dealings of this family, especially during such a difficult time, but it made my job a lot more difficult.

One side would tell us something about Gary or the investigation, only to have it rebutted by the other side.

I'm not going to go any deeper into the details out of respect for the families, but it suffices to say, that this game of political ping pong is uncomfortable, especially when you're trying to write a story that tells viewers about the person who died.

I won't begin to pretend to understand what Gary's wife, mother, father or anyone else is going through right now, but I'm pretty sure Gary wouldn't be happy about it.

Growing up, the Hart family spent most weekends and holidays with my dad's brothers family.

We had six in our family at the time and they had seven.

Our time together saved for prosperity on 8mm film.

But one day, I'm not even sure when or how, we drifted apart.

I saw them twice over the last 22 years when my father's parents died.

Then, this summer, my cousin Teresa died. Not much older than me. There were all my cousins, my aunt and uncle, all of whom looked and sounded like strangers.

We spent the funeral and part of the gathering afterwards getting caught up.

It was awkward and depressing.

How did I let this relationship become so strained that I couldn't keep in touch with family more frequently over the past two decades?

The fact we live in an age of texting, e-mails and cell phones made this all even more pathetic.

I hope the Foster family will find strength and support in numbers, and dispatch any individual grievances.

There's nothing worse than regret, when there's no way to correct it.