We Lost A Good One

Tim Finkel has the unfortunate honor of being the first two-time guest in We Lost a Good One history. On October 19th, 2023, Ryder was diagnosed with Diffused Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, an aggressive form of cancer in his brain stem that almost exclusively takes place in children, causing an inevitable loss of motor function and leading to eventual death. His initial prognosis was 8-12 months. He p...

This episode is three years old! Back in 2022 friend and fellow comedian Robert Jenkins joined me to talk about his father Michael Jenkins. A man who saw the world with a clear moral clarity, we touched on his tough upbringing in Flint and Detroit, a long life spent with his wife Rita, becoming a Jehovah's Witness, and how he managed Lewy Body Dementia on his way out. Rob and I also managed to sol...

This episode I am joined by... my dad! The inspiration to start We Lost A Good One came from the fact that I had never once talked to my dad Charlie about what it was like losing his older brother Bryon at such a young age. Well, after two seasons and quite the hiatus, we finally did it! We dusted off my dad's memories and with a box of my Uncle Bryon's papers, letters, schoolwork, picture...

Mark Zacharda is running for state representative in Michigan's new 71st house district. It is a mostly rural district where it has been tough for people over the past years, with jobs leaving and small towns being hallowed out. Mark is a full time farmer and former HS biology teacher who is eager to be a public servant for his family, friends and neighbors and to work for them in Lansing to meet...

If you've listened to the introductory episode of We Lost A Good One, you know that this whole thing was in part, inspired by an interaction I had with Jack Nutter. He was the man who greeted me with, "we lost a good one" at my grandfather's funeral a few years back. That moment stuck with me and inspired me to try and have more of these conversations with that same energy. I'm tempted to fill thi...

Mr. Scott Sheedlo is an amazing English teacher, college professor, cross-country coach, my high school biology teacher and also an all around great guy. About two decades after teaching me how to dissect a frog, he joined me to dissect the life and loss of his wonderful mother Colleen. She was a dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, and teacher who never stopped trying to better herself while enco...

For the first episode of our new season, I sat down with an old friend and fellow Ovid-Elsie High School class of 2001 graduate, Malleri Singer, to talk about her amazing mother, Mona Myrtle Tobey. As I wrote this episode summary, I stopped and looked up the definition for stalwart; loyal, reliable, and hardworking. Malleri describes her mother as all of those things and more. We talk about Mona's...

Today's guest, author and founder of Grieving It Shanice McLeish, joins me to talk about losing her father at 8 years old and how that helped to inspire her new children's book. Grief on the Playground is a story which takes you on a ride through the 'grief rollercoaster'. Grief on the Playground is necessary for all children who have lost someone they loved. Readers all around confirm Grief on th...

This episode I am joined by my longtime friend and fellow podcaster, Jeff Jones. Jeff, along with his wife Angie, host an absolutely delightful podcast called Cruel2Rewind. It is the #1 Chicago based, underground, husband and wife, movie podcast in the country. I met Jeff in college and have known him for over 20 years. I knew his dad Bill had passed away when Jeff was very young but I didn't know...

From St. Louis, Missouri, my guest Libbie Higgins is a hilarious up and coming comedian. She hosts her own podcast, Slop City, and can be found on social media @libbiehiggins . Despite being in the midst of a national tour, she was kind enough to sit down with me to chat about losing her dad, Charles, aka Chas, far too soon. Always, the life of the party, Charles was know for having too much beer...

Content Warning: Aimee Poulin lost her cousin to suicide just over a month ago. I was honored to have her join me while the thoughts of him were so fresh in her mind. We chatted about their childhood adventures and their relationship that was part cousin and part friend. We also veered off into other directions as we discussed suicide, loss, and how when someone we know dies, a little bit of us di...

As I stumble my way deeper into the world around death and dying, I recently discovered the concept of Death or End of Life Doulas. It really piqued my interest, so I searched for some on Instagram, sent some messages, and found one willing to chat! Sabrina Singh is and End of Life Doula based in London, England. She was kind enough to take a moment of her time to discuss how she helps those comin...

Our first Aunt! My old comedy buddy and all-around great guy Pat Sievert was kind enough to join me for episode 5. We talked about his Aunt Mickey Phillips, an amazing person and a beloved teacher. A true linch pin who brought friends and family together throughout her life. This episodes music is You'll Miss Me by Blind Albert Reed.

Join me and my guest Micaela Tepler as we follow her Bubbe Faye on an epic journey that includes fleeing Nazis, traveling through Europe and Russia, surviving Kazakh floods, refugee camp romance, a transatlantic crossing, a bathtub full of pike, two immigrations, a mafioso boyfriend, Micaela's bat mitzvah, indigestion, and a battle with dementia that she never really lost. This episode's music is...

Episode two! I had the pleasure of chatting with friend and comedian Adam Degi about his late father Paul Degi. Paul was a great father, musician, artist, and apparently one of the early pioneers of the "dad joke." If you want to follow Adam or find out when and where he'll be performing check out @adamdegi on twitter and instagram. His latest album, Limp Nodes, is out now. https://music.apple.com...

For the first episode of We Lost A Good One, I sat down with my old friend and fellow comedian, Nick Leydorf. We talked about his dad Jeff who passed away 17 years ago. Nick and I went to the same high school where his dad was a beloved art teacher so it was nice to get to know him a little better. As mentioned in the episode, Nick is also a lawyer with a focus on estate planning. To connect with...

Comedian Will Green explains the fever dream and poor reasoning that led him to want to sit down with friends, family, and anyone else who will talk to him to look back fondly on the life of someone in their life who has passed away.