XL 2016 I have this friend Monty. Had this friend Monty. When he died last month at age 70 while undergoing cancer treatment, it took me by surprise. The chemo had weakened him severely, but the doctors believed he was past the worst of it and would be on the mend soon. His body knew better. Monty and I led a Bible study together. He was a retired judge from southern Ohio, generous and mild-mannered, always extolling us with references to movies and TV shows from before I was born, never missing a chance to indulge his anglophilia by visiting the UK. It was tough for him when he developed diabetes and had to cut back on the sweets. It was also tough when the cancer forced him to cancel one of his most beloved traditions, the birthday party he threw himself every December that doubled as a toy drive. Monty was a lifelong bachelor. Before his diagnosis last fall, I had been thinking that I should try to be there for him as he got older, since he didn’t have children.…