Dear Jennifer,
This note is a long time coming. I was angry at Leonard for waiting until now to inform me of your father’s passing, but in reality, I should blame myself for not reaching out sooner. I know how difficult it is to lose your parents and I hope this note will be of some comfort. His death hit me harder than I expected. After all, we weren’t close. But unlike some in our dysfunctional family, I honestly cannot think of one bad thing he ever did or said. That speaks volumes for his character.
My best memory of your father was when I was a small boy and he was only a few years back from the Korean war. He had a Triumph motorcycle and to show off he zoomed down the street in a blur. I thought he was the coolest guy on the planet! I remember a few outings on his boat and the precious few times we had as a family together. Precious few.
I know this won’t make up for the lost time between my family and yours, but I hope his passing might at least open things up for us all to be a little closer. If you or any member of your family is ever in the San Francisco Bay area, please give me a call and let’s try to get together.
Best wishes to you and your family during this difficult time. And if your daughter chooses to go to Med school – have her apply to UCSF!
Bill Fox