Adam Richard Furstoss was born on July 30, 1982. He was a big boy weighing in at 9lbs 8oz. Adam was always an active child. He was interested in a lot of different things. His favorite activity was fishing. He knew all the lures by name and what they were for. He also knew the names of different poles, motors and boats. Fishing was his favorite thing to do with his dad. Some of his other interests were biking, scuba diving, snowboarding,and lacrosse. Of course he liked cars and girls too but he never lost interest in fishing.

Adam had a way of making everyone around him feel special. He always gave everyone a nickname. Here is a sample of the many he thought up: Cook, Uncle Wonny, Steph-o-nee, Gin-nay, Jen-nay, and Auntie Beautiful. All his mom's friends were Ma'am. All of Adam's buddies were a part of his family. He cared very much for his friends.

The occupation Adam chose for himself was a machinist. He graduated from a program in machine shop and had a full time job when he passed away. Adam was a hard worker.

The best friend Adam had was his dog Scooby. He received Scooby as a Christmas present. He was supposed to share Scooby with his sister Nicole, but it soon became obvious who's dog Scooby was. Adam took Scooby to training classes and taught him unbelievable tricks. Scooby was a very sad dog when Adam left.

We are all very proud of the life Adam was making for himself. We wish we could have watched him excel in it just a little bit longer.

My Dad was Conrad John Grzybek. He passed away in Feb. of 2003 from cancer at the age of 71.

Conrad was a hard working man who took great pride in his whole family. He was a musician and electrician and all around handy man. He could rig up anything using anything -- a McGyver of sorts.

What my Dad taught me was a love of sports. He loved basketball, hockey and football. My Dad took me to my first ever NBA game when I was quite young and I have not forgotten it. He loved hockey, especially the Buffalo
Sabres. When they were in the Stanley Cup Finals he gave up his ticket for me. I will never forget that sacrifice, knowing how much he wanted to go. His other team was the Buffalo Bills. When my Dad was sick I would go over and watch games with him. One of my most memorable moments was when my brother and sister and I treated my Dad to a Bills playoff game. He loved it!!

My Dad had the best rose bushes around. He also loved his lawn to be perfect. When I was younger I had to dig out dandelions with a weed digger while my friends played. I hated it!!! Today I thank him for that because I love my lawn weed-free also. We would talk about gardening all the time.

When my Dad was taken to the hospital 4 days before he passed away I had the opportunity to be by his side. He was incoherent but I knew he could hear me when I talked because a tear would come down his face. I told my Dad that my Mom would be okay and I needed him to go take care of my son.

When my Dad's spirit finally left this earth I knew my son was waiting for him. How lucky they are!!!! 

Richard George Furstoss, Sr. was 46 years old when he passed away in March 1983. Cancer took his life way too soon.

Richard, everyone called him Dick, was a kind man. He took such pride in his family and all he accomplished in his life. When he was ill he still wanted to shoot a bow and arrow with his sons. He was determined to find the strength to enjoy life to the end.

Dick was a financial banker all his life. In his free time he loved to cook and bake. He made the best strawberry shortcake I ever had.

I was his only daughter-in-law at the time and he treated me like a queen. I was always waited on. If I mentioned I liked something he would get it for me as a gift, no strings attached.

His only grandchildren at the time were my daughter Nicole and my son Adam. He took pleasure in their company even though they were quite small when he was ill. The night before Dick passed away we visited with the children. My father-in-law was very weak and at home. He wanted to see Nicole and Adam. We placed Adam on his bed next to him and he found the strength to hold him and smile. That was the most alert he had been all day.

I know my father-in-law and Adam have had a happy reunion. How lucky they are!!!

About the Shooting Star Flowers

Perhaps you've noticed the beautiful shooting star flowers on the banner of each page of this site. In addition to adding a wonderful aesthetic touch to the site, they have a special meaning to me.

The night my son Adam passed away, the woman who lived in the house where the accident occurred wrote a note to say when she realized Adam had passed on she looked into the sky and saw a shooting star. She wrote that when she saw the shooting star, she knew Adam would be alright.

At the reception following the funeral mass, my sister, Adam's Godmother, told a story about how every time my son went to California to visit her, he would always miss seeing a shooting star, even if others saw it. She proceeded to say that Adam was now her shooting star.

Fifteen days after Adam passed away would have been his 19th birthday. He had plans to go with a few friends to Casino Niagara in Niagara Falls. My husband and I, along with several other family members, decided to do what he wanted to do. We had a great day in Adam's honor. On the way home, my husband and I were talking about what a nice day it had been. Suddenly, streaking across the sky directly in front of us, was a brilliant shooting star. We looked at one another, cried, and wished Adam a Happy Birthday.

All three of these incidents caused my family and I to adopt the shooting star as our symbol to represent Adam's life. I knew when I started to entertain the idea of this website that the shooting star symbolism would somehow be a part of it.

The shooting star flowers on this website were found through an intense search of the Internet. It couldn't be just any shooting star flower, but had to be vibrant, eye-catching, and full of spirit, just like Adam. When the photo was discovered, I knew it was meant to be, especially when I found out that the photographer's name was Adam also!

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