Tue, Jan 29th 2008, 09:41
Dressing that day in the basement of his parent’s Warrenton home was different than any other in the 21 years of Eric Gay’s life.
There was nothing unusual about thumbing into place the seven buttons of a white dress shirt or sliding the knot of a tie snuggly against his neck, but finishing the ensemble with a Duke basketball jersey made it peculiar.
Eric wasn’t sure the jersey was appropriate for attending a wake, but his parents, Tom and Pam, deemed it suitable. It was unique garb for an inimitable day.
Eric had initially slipped on the No. 4 uniform only to ensure it wouldn’t be forgotten when the family left for Moser Funeral Home. He planned to place it in the casket of his brother Patrick, a memento signifying the sibling bond of a shared obsession over former Duke star J.J. Redick.
The middle of Tom and Pam’s three sons, Patrick’s fanaticism for Redick was rivaled only by younger brother Eric, older brother Chris and neighbor Sam Kettering. For that reason, the Gay family decided to bury Patrick with a pair of authentic Redick jerseys.
Eric, and subsequently Chris, wearing identical Duke jerseys at the wake became an added tribute. They greeted family and friends at Moser with the blue neck trim and Duke lettering of the jerseys exposed, framed nicely by the lapels of their black suit jackets.
Some mourners noticed the unique “vests” and questioned the family, but most in attendance immediately recognized the jerseys’ significance. After all, the boys were dedicated enough as Redick fans that Tom and Pam had pondered dressing Patrick for the viewing in a No. 4 jersey.
They decided on more traditional attire for Patrick, but the jerseys still played a prominent role.
“Everyone who knew how they were huge fans of Redick was touched by it,” Tom said.
It even brought tears to the eyes of complete strangers. Namely, J.J. Redick.
Weekend with Redick
Chris and Eric Gay, and family friend Sam Kettering, found themselves in a club level room at the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando on Jan. 3, reading a text message from J.J. Redick. The Orlando Magic guard had arrived in the lobby and was ready to drive them to dinner.