Timeless bond: Lifelong Wooster friends bring old story to life

Brendan Loerch and William Brown have known each other for so long they don’t really remember the beginning of their friendship. Born in Wooster in July 1987 to next-door neighbors, the pair have essentially been best friends ever since.

They became cognizant of that friendship about three or four years later. Their former selves from those days would love what they’ve been working on these days — these days consisting of the last 15 years or so.

It was during Brown’s college days — while Loerch was in the Coast Guard, the first time the pair had been separated — he wrote a children’s book, “The Dog Who Thought He Was a Cat.” It was never published, but Loerch never forgot about it. A couple of years ago, he brought it up to Brown and told him he thought the book was something that should be shared.

In late January, using a self-publishing press in Ashland, the pair did exactly that. The 24-page book, edited by Loerch and illustrated by Winston Gambro, is available in paperback form, downloadable on readers, both on Amazon, as well as for sale in a Columbus comic book shop, The Laughing Ogre, and at the Cleveland Public Library.

“It is a book celebrating individual uniqueness,” said Nadia Barkawi, Loerch’s girlfriend.

Brown was born July 12, 1987, to parents Robert and Sue. Less than three weeks later, Loerch was born to Steve and Karen, Robert and Sue’s neighbors and close friends. Loerch and Brown eventually went to grade school together at St. Mary’s, and both graduated in 2006 from Wooster High School.

“We remained pretty much like brothers,” Loerch said. “We played on soccer teams together, stuff like that, all the way up.”

From there Brown pursued a more traditional path, attending college at Kent State, while Loerch headed for the military. He served in the Coast Guard for seven years, after which he spent time in Atlantic City, New Jersey and in Michigan working on the Coast Guard cutter Hollyhock breaking ice.

Later, he attended Ohio State, earning a degree in international studies, and then headed to New Mexico, turning from ice to fire. Out west Loerch worked fighting wildfires and performing as a stand-up comedian. As he jokes now, his day job gave him more stage fright than the nighttime gig.

“It was very fulfilling but very intense work, hard on the body,” Loerch said of firefighting.

Being away from his closest friend and neighbor, meanwhile, was tougher on the mind, soul and spirit.

“It was hard at first,” Loerch said of being separated from his lifelong friend. “We kind of did fall out of touch during time. He would send cards and write letters. He’s a writer, so he liked writing things like that. We didn’t have laptops and the internet like now, though. So we definitely fell out of touch. Coming back here and there for holidays and things like that, we’d always meet up.”

Though they lost sight of each other, Brown and Loerch never lost touch. Via phone, text or whatever medium suited them at a particular time, the pair bounced ideas off each other. Loerch tries out jokes on Brown while Brown reads Loerch poetry and other things he writes.

Loerch has made his way back to Wooster, where he still does stand-up, doing side gigs for friends.

Brown has spent the last decade or so in Cleveland, working in Cleveland Heights as a librarian. Now within 50 miles or so of each other, the pair may not see each other every day, but the two are close enough to make it happen whenever they need or want to — or when one remembers the other’s unfinished book from years ago.

“He wrote this book back when he was in college,” Loerch said. “I remember him telling me about it back then. He calls it a feel-good children’s story, but it’s meant for all ages.”

Brown hadn’t forgotten about the book, but he may as well have. He didn’t think about it much, and getting the children’s story published was not exactly on his list — to-do or bucket. So the fact that it’s now a purchasable entity, he said, is all because of Loerch, whom Brown affectionately refers to as “Lurch.”

“He’s just got this idea that I had, and he just ran with it,” Brown said. “That’s kind of the opposite of my nature. It was just so much fun to see this come to fruition.

“It’s very satisfying — not just to hold it in your hands, but a lot of our friends have young kids. We gave them books as gifts. We’ve gotten good responses from the children, not just the parents of them.”

Brown, who hopes to someday see a couple of volumes of poetry he’s written get published, said there aren’t any other children’s stories he’s aware of for Loerch to resurrect. There are, however, some other things. And there’s always the chance Loerch will put on his motivator hat and make something happen.

“As far as children’s stories go, that’s the only one I’ve written,” Brown said. “There’s an abundance of material in drawers. When I was in college, I had a book of poems I titled ‘Junk Drawer.’

“If he wants to run with that, maybe we’ll go with that one.”