Saturday, August 31, 2019
Neil was my best friend from about 5 years old on. His father used to come fix our family TV right in our living room. We went to school together from kindergarten at Resurrection School through Rye High School and survived it all. I most remember our activities as children from playing in the dangerous swamp next to Neil's house as young kids to tackle football with his big brother Jerry and so many friends from the Glen Oaks neighborhood. Then there were the many adventures of adolescence, music and dancing to the Beatles in his basement, bike and camping trips, and our on-the-road travels in Wilber (the '59 Chevy Belair that his dad sold to Donald Hobby for $50) and sporting about town in Neil's cherished '63 Ford Galexie convertible with golf clubs always in the trunk. Through it all, Neil served as our historian, recollecting, and not hesitating to share, every last detail of our youth, from the most exciting to the most embarrassing. And he continued to keep up and share what was going on with the RHS tribe for many years later, taking a lead role in planning reunions and being sure to update and share details on the ups and downs of so many classmates. I know he will be missed deeply and by so many. Hard to believe 'He's Gone' (had to play that Grateful Dead tune all day when I got the sad news). I know he will be missed most by his wife Marcia and his daughter Kelly, but so many considered Neil a dear friend and will miss his laugh, his stories and his genuine love and compassion over the years. Peace.
