Monday, March 20, 2017
Howard, although my senior by almost 30 years, was a great friend, always there when I needed him. He took care of me and my broken femur which did not want to heal, when the traditional medicine seemed at loss what to do. He showed me the power of orthotics and was a true craftsman at molding them to be a perfect fit. He loved a good dirty joke and knew quite a few himself, which he loved sharing, especially when Suzy was around... Me and my Siblings still enjoy recalling his jokes. I would share one here but I'm afraid to damage this web page...
Howard was a loving and caring husband and a good friend to my mother. He and Suzy always seemed full of love for each other, with him doing mischievous things and getting scolded by Suzy. If Suzy hadn't taken care of him, this note would probably have been written many years ago.
Life was not easy for Howard; he seemed to have this ongoing bet with death, to see how close he could get without losing the ability to come back. It's amazing, but several times, when the bases were loaded against him and the angel of death was knocking on the door, he succeeded in coming back with triple plays, each time forcing the angel to leave empty handed. It looks like this time his luck ran out.
When I last met Howard and Suzy in Orlando a few years ago, I realized that that might very well be the last time I saw him. I have thought of him and Suzy often and I pray that Suzy will find the strength to continue being the optimist she always was.
I promise that if I ever get to the neighborhood of Albany, I will come by and visit Howard's grave and pour a bottle of nice Irish whiskey over the grave, not after passing it through my kidneys (Howard would know what I mean...).
