Live Like Adam!
If death were only visited upon the elderly, we would still mourn their passing but be comforted by the fact that ‘they lived a good, long life’. Similarly, if death were only visited upon the infirm, we would still mourn their passing but be comforted by the fact that ‘they’re in a better place, they’re in no more pain’. But when death is visited unexpectedly upon the young, the healthy, those in their prime, we can only mourn. There is no reason, no excuse, no comfort to be had.
Such was the case on October 28th when part of the fabric of our community was rent asunder by the untimely passing of Adam Bouvet. Most of you reading this knew Adam, so an accounting of his contributions to our lives and our community would fill this column and still come up lacking. His was the every-smiling greeting when you walked into The Mill; his was the ever-helpful hand that helped you buy your first home, or guided you smoothly through the intricacies of selling your home; his was the effervescent personality donating food to those in need, feeding exhausted firefighters fresh from the lines, playing Santa to the city’s children, hosting birthdays, fundraisers, and retirement parties; he was the friend always up for an adventure, a concert, a ball game, a wilderness hike. In many ways Adam seemed larger than life, one whose legacy would only be further burnished by the passage of time, someone whom we looked forward to seeing what he accomplished next.
So the senseless, random act that took him from us seems particularly ironic. While on a recent visit to Texas to watch his grandson play football, Adam, his wife Tracy, two daughters and an infant granddaughter, were walking home from lunch when they were struck from behind by an errant automobile. Adam sustained the only injury from the impact and as recounted by Tracy, “As we were walking back home, from behind us we heard loud screeching. In a second I was knocked down only to get up and not see my husband. I found him in front of the car that hit us. I believe he saved us all. I do believe he took the hit to save us all. He is my hero.”
Adam’s contribution to Murrieta and its residents went far beyond business. He built a legacy of compassion and service. His warmth brought people together and left an imprint on countless lives. Adam’s selfless dedication will be profoundly missed and his memory is being honored by embracing the values he championed through the #LiveLikeAdam campaign: Laugh often, live to give, work hard, don’t take yourself too seriously, treat everyone like family, smile, support people in need, show up for your grandkids, love others imperfections, get involved in your community, play more, go to a concert, encourage others, and love like crazy.
A GoFundMe campaign has also been set up to help the family deal with his untimely loss. Help if you can – https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-bouvet-family-after-tragic-accident.