OXFORD – Two years after John Lobdell’s death, three of his long-time friends and former classmates are hosting their second fundraising golf tournament on Aug. 21 to raise money for the two sons Lobdell left behind.

Growing up, Nathaniel Emerson and John Lobdell were inseparable. They were best friends and partners-in-crime, whose high school exploits were nothing short of legendary in the Oxford community they both called home.

Through the years, “Nat” and John stuck by each other through thick and thin, staying close as they started their own families, and even becoming closer still after Lobdell moved south, trading in the rolling hills of his native upstate New York for the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

It’s no surprise, therefore, that Emerson was by his friend’s side as he faced the toughest battle of his life -– fighting the colon cancer which cost Lobdell and his wife Emma much of their savings and, in the end, his life.

At a memorial service following Lobdell’s death in September of 2008, Emerson spoke eloquently about his long-time friend. While he may be gone, he is surely not forgotten. In the year and the half since his passing, Emerson has made it something of a personal goal to fulfill what was one of Lobdell’s greatest wishes for his two sons, Brody and Mason.

“John was always adamant that his boys would never have to worry about their education,” he said, explaining why he created The Brody/Mason Fund.