Yesterday was a beautiful day and Joe's friends gathered at his house to eat and drink with him one last time. Everyone I talked with had some wonderful story to tell about Joe. He touched all our lives in special ways. He entertained us, he made us laugh, he cooked for us, he listened when we wanted to talk.
Everytime I've thought about Joe in the last few days, Frank Sinatra singing the song My Way has played in my head.
I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
Regrets I've had a few
But then again too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
Most of his ashes have been scattered along with yellow rose petals in the San Miguel he loved and some will go back home with family. I'll miss him everyday in many ways but I think having known Joe will also make me laugh more often, live a life filled with more color, be more generous and most of all cherish friends and family even more.
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[H]having known Joe will also make me laugh more often, live a life filled with more color, be more generous and most of all cherish friends and family even more.
What better epitaph could any of us want?
And, my dear friend, YOU are cherished by friends also.
Billie, thank you so much for your beautiful blog posts about my Uncle Joe. I am his eldest niece. I miss him very much and am glad my dad was with him the night before his passing. It sounds like the perfect end, albeit WAYYYY too soon, to a wonderful man. Having Joe in our family made us ALL better humans. I hope we continue aspiring to being the people he loved and supported with his warmth, humor and wicked determination to always speak the truth. I love reading the stories from fellow ex-pats in San Miguel and know how much he loved it and you all. I hope to visit someday and say a fond farewell to an Uncle I am sure never quite understood how much he meant to us all and how great a void he left when he said his final goodbye 4 short days ago. I am planning on writing about his life and would very much like to research his life in San Miguel. I have no doubt I have a lifetime of peeling onions. I will always remember him as my 13 year old self when he introduced me to Carol Channing, gave me his 66 Mustang (couldn't drive it for 2 more years) and took me to my first NFL game all in the same day. He was QUITE the Hero and the one person in my family I believe understood my need for drama (I was an actress for many years) and supported my dream of the NY Stage. I am sorry for your loss as you had him in your life on a much more frequent basis but his passing leaves an indelible whole in my heart that I plan on filling with a renewed relationship with the family that remains. I think Joe would approve.
Much love,
Lisa
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