Gary has been part of my life all of my life.Being somewhat older, he pushed our stroller when my brother and I were tots! That was in Brooklyn. Later on we moved to New Jersey he and his mother lived only two doors away. He was often at our home and seemed to enjoy playing with his little cousins. He always made my brother and me feel important. He really cared about us. In his late teens and early twenties, Gary had an 8mm motion picture camera. He filmed family members as subjects and particularly liked using us little cousins as actors. Once he confided to me that his great ambition was to make moviesthat no one was going to force him into the family real estate business. Nevertheless, he did get into real estate and stopped making movies, putting family first. Along with his business career found other ways of helping others. He not only taught English as a second language to Spanish-speaking people, he developed a textbook and a video program for them. Other others that Gary helped were his numerous animal friends. PD was his first rescue dog. Gary was impressed with how gentle PD was with ailing father. That may be what got Gary hooked on pets, because after that there was a long succession of rescue dogs, cats, rabbits, goldfish, and even a turtle at one time, I think. He moved from an apartment in Fort Lee to a large property in Nyack to accommodate them all. Gary from time to time also rescued me, perhaps unbeknownst to him, when I most needed it. For instance, when I was 8 years old and feeling lonely during my first experience in a summer camp, he came to visit. Made me laugh. Boosted my spirits. Later on, when I lived in New York and having relationship and career challenges he visited and took me to dinner. He was a good listener. He was was always so kind. Our last conversation was over the phone earlier in July. We talked about things in general: home improvement, our pets, memories. Your never know when a conversation with someone will be the last one. And though he has gone on, his memory remains with us whose lives were so enriched by knowing him. Goodness is immortal. - Mary Julia [Mussawir] Kephart