Now, before you think that joke is in bad taste, considering I’m about to talk about my friend’s dad dying of cancer, consider that his dad had a great sense of humor.
The friend is my frat brother David, and it was obvious back in school that he’d been raised right. Fathers provide our road maps, and David was smart and funny and had leadership skills, and all this told you everything you needed to know about his dad, Mal.
Mal unfortunately passed away from cancer on Friday. He still lived in New Jersey near David, and since I happened to be only an hour away, I put on my sneakers and paid a condolence call. (I didn’t know I’d need more formal wear on this trip, and David was of course super cool about it.)
Mal had lots of people pay their respects – including one of our other frat brothers, who drove four hours each way for the funeral. Mal fought in the army, taught high school for decades, and was a Boy Scout troop master. He made lifelong friends all life long. He was a very good man.
Oh, and as for my opening joke, consider this: David and his parents once attended a disaster of a funeral, in which the rabbi obviously didn’t know the deceased and mailed in the sermon, and people haphazardly attempted to pay their respects. Afterward, at the famous Tick Tock diner in New Jersey, David asked his parents “Quick – what are the top five funerals you’ve attended?” It became their running joke after anyone passed. But was it top five? In the end, Mal made the list.
Sorry for your loss, David. I’m glad I could come over on a tough day and learn more about your dad and be there in whatever way possible. Good dad, good son.
