From Christine:
Lou's last words to his children were "remember that I will always love you."
It would take me endless hours to write down all of the memories I have of Lou. I will continue to remind his children of the good things about him. I'll tell them about Lou's challenges too, so they can learn from that, but mostly I will remind them of how important they were to him and how much he loved them. He truly was the best father to them that he could be, and he loved his kids deeply.
Lou left a legacy of generosity. Although he definitely loved his technological "toys", he was not a materialistic person. "Stuff" didn't mean much to him, and he gave freely.
He was giving and kind throughout our separation and divorce, and
afterwards - the divorce lawyer even sent us a grateful letter because
she was so amazed by how friendly and generous he was throughout the entire process. He taught me
a lot about giving, and I will continue to pay that forward.
Lou was an adventurer. He embraced travel and was able to find friends everywhere he went. He reached out to people with a friendliness that was powerfully endearing.
Lou was also one of the most politically incorrect people I ever met, and could be hilariously offensive. He wouldn't mind me saying that, I'm sure. He took pride in his ability to joke about pretty much anything, which earned him friends who were not superficial or petty.
He lives on through his children. They each carry some of his best traits, both physically and in personality. I am glad that they inherited his perseverance, intelligence, and intensity.
They will remember that he always loved them.
All of my favorite memories of my beloved brother involve him belting off a tune as loud and as off-key as possible. I remember him coming home from a bar one night carrying an award inscribed "World's Shittiest Singer." He was beaming from ear to ear to have had the honor of winning that award.
ReplyDeleteLou was the very first person I was in charge of hiring at Audubon. There were many applicants for his position but I knew from the first 3 minutes of our interview, that he was the right choice. The position required a great deal of technical expertise, which he had, but I knew that it also required someone with a special personality, a sense of humor, and the ability to work with some "interesting" (read: impossibly difficult) people. During his first week, he not only understood our extremely complex data systems, he understood our business model and goals. He also managed to charm all the staff and had the most difficult ones eating out of his hand almost immediately. I remember thinking that I must have special instincts and abilities for this hiring thing.
ReplyDeleteAbout a week later, Lou joined a group of us after work for a drink at a local bar in the Village. Everyone loved him immediately -- he was warm and friendly, never had a mean word to say about anyone, and from my perspective, he became my protector as well. I have a tendency to over-indulge on occasion but Lou always made sure that I left the bar before him and that I was safely in a cab going home. If the next day was a work day, he also brought me coffee. Oh yeah, he also saved my butt at work on more than one occasion. Lou was fearless, brilliant, funny, honest, loyal, and an absolute treasure to work with. He made me feel like a special person in his life. I know now that that was his gift to everyone he cared about.
I was devastated to learn that he is gone. Lou was one of those people with such an over-abundance of life and spirit that it seems impossible to imagine a world without him. My thoughts and prayers are with him in heaven and with his family here on earth. I will always be grateful to have known him.