ciao Joe Rachor

middle-age American living in New Jersey near the Lincoln Tunnel <<< This photo includes David, Ellen, Nelson, Joe, Drew, Rosemary, my mom and me.  I am saddened by the loss of my Uncle who is the second family member to be lost from the photo.  Joe followed Rosemary in death this week.  “You’re so much like your dad” I heard again and again in childhood.  “Bill is just like Joe” is something no one would have reason to say, but yet, I am much like each of them.  In 2006 we wrote letters to one another during my Ajinomoto employment, so I began using Japanese Kanji in my letters, and he did too.  “These Japanese letters are fun” I remember he wrote.  He welcomed my wife, Hana, with warmth and open arms in letters and on the phone starting with my marriage in 2006, and he continued during our series of visits in August 2011.  I remember him clearly fussing over Hana, “you’re a pretty girl”, and more fuss about her shinny sandals.  Since my dad had died many years before I met Hana, Joe performed beautifully in the surrogate, boy-finds-girl-shows-dad roll.  Joe gave to me the ability to look at being elderly with wistful eyes.  He aged with dignity and he gave me a model.  Ciao, Joe Rachor.  >>> since public speaking, and posting internet comments are two things people fear, I created an email account for readers to use for anonymous comments: gmail, username: anonymous2tomdoody, password: anonymous123