Growing up, Frank was my best friend. We found each other in the 8th grade, as I moved into a new school and neighborhood. Our high school and college years, and growing up in St. Albans/Queens, were some of the best years of our lives. And over our 50 year friendship, we revisited those years often with shared memories like buying our first car together, which we bought for $50 in May of 1965 and we junked four months later; or, our trip to Philly for the Penn relays where I found Frank in the fountain of the Franklin Motor Lodge; or, camping in the backyard in Sag Harbor which started at 7pm and stopped at 10pm because all the food was gone; or, our trips to Reese Beach where Frank was first told by his girlfriend, Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??I canÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢t swim, SparkyÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?Â. Little known, but back in the day, Frank had several nicknamesÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?¦ Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??DutchÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?Â, Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??BoogalooÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?Â, Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??SparkyÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?Â, and the one I used most frequently, Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??HayzeeeeÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?Â. Yes, we had some fine times together. Work, relocations, families, and other responsibilities caused us to drift apart in our later years, but I thank Frank for taking the lead in making sure we reconnected about a year ago. Our friendship picked up right where it had left off without missing a beat. Both of us still loved to laugh (snap), and we continued to share story after story and memory after memory, which provided an endless supply of Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?â??insideÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã? joy and entertainment.We also got a chance to talk seriously on topics like relationships, family, politics, and religion. His insight was particularly profound, thoughtful and interesting.I really marveled at the way Frank handled his illness. He didnÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢t like to talk about how sick he was and the hourly/daily battle he was fighting, but I knew. Fortunately, I had the chance to tell him how much I valued our friendship and respected his fight. I told him he was a hero and an inspiration. Not just to me, but to all those he knew. I hope he realizes how positively he affected us.FrankÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s battle is over, but his memory will not be forgotten. I can only hope when my end nears, I will face it with as much dignity, courage, curiosity, class and peace as Frank did.
