he was a very strong man. my family is strong and his passing is making us stronger. his story is a version of the american dream. his parents came from poland aged 17, knowing no one and without english. he was the youngest of 8 and the only one to graduate college. he put himself through high school and the university of buffalo working summers putting bumpers on cadillacs in detroit. he was a pharmacist. he owned and operated a pharmacy in my mother's hometown for over 30 years. he will be missed. fiercely intelligent and combative til after thanksgiving when he slowed down and began speaking in a whisper. he waited for my cousin to come home and died peacefully with my aunt and cousin while petting his beloved dog repeating the words thank you over and over.

thank you all for reading.