Los Gatos resident Eric Drew is grieving, because one of his best friends just died.
When Rotarian Bob Long was claimed by Covid-19 Aug. 27, he said, Los Gatos lost a key resident.
“He was a pillar of the community,” he said of Long, who was a decade older than him. “Whenever there was an event—especially a charity event—he was the first person to raise his hand (to volunteer).”
Long originally hailed from Chicago.
He worked in healthcare IT, believing better electronic medical records could lead to the delivery of higher quality care.
For the past three years he’d rented a room at Drew’s place, but they’d known each other much longer.
“We would go on trips up to Napa,” Drew said. “He was always kind of the older brother, the uncle, always the life of the party—always ready to go, initiating stuff.”
In addition to Rotary, Long participated in other non-profits such as the Los Gatos Community Foundation and the NuMu museum.
Long was also a five-year board member of the We Heal Foundation, the cancer-fighting charity Drew founded.
‘He was a weekend warrior’
—Eric Drew, Los Gatos resident
“At Jazz on the Plazz he was an usher,” Drew recalls. “He was always an usher.”
Two days after this year’s event at Silver Mountain Vineyards, Long started showing coronavirus symptoms.
A few days later, Drew started exhibiting symptoms, too.
“I started feeling them on the Friday,” he said. “For me it was (like) a three-day cold.”
But Long kept getting worse and was placed on a ventilator. He didn’t recover.
Long didn’t want Drew visiting him in the hospital.
But the day before he died, Drew was able to get on a Zoom call with him. He’s not sure his old friend actually understood what he was saying, but he’s glad they could have that final interaction.
Drew likes to think of the good moments—like the time they took their girlfriends to Monterey on a whim to stay at a bed and breakfast.
“He was a weekend warrior,” Drew said. “He lived for the fun.”
Long turned 65 two weeks before he died while on the ventilator.
“Bob and I had spent the last year planning a big birthday bash at our house,” Drew said. “Instead the bands will play his Celebration of Life.”
The final public send-off is to take place this Saturday at Oak Meadow Park at 233 Blossom Hill Rd.
The Johnny Neri Band is scheduled to play at 2pm. And there’s even a guest performer from Mill Valley who’s been invited to take the stage, as well.
Drew wants to remind people that the coronavirus pandemic isn’t over.
“You gotta take it seriously,” he said. “It’s not just the mask and getting vaccinated and that obvious stuff. But, take care of yourself.
“It’s the underlying medical issues that’ll get you.”
