When someone we love dies, it leaves a hole in the fabric of
our lives. Only the passage of time and
the good memories we have serve to partially mend that hole. But in the case of the passing of our friend Charlie Koerber, a hole has been created that seems way too big to mend. For when you live a huge, expansive, life – full of love and
joy and good will towards others -- your death is an enormous loss. All of us feel this huge loss. And, we will carry the memories of Charlie
with us every day until it lessens a little.
I had the good fortune to call Charlie Koerber my
friend. He was kind and smart and
generous and loving, but what I remember most was – his wisdom. How often can we say that about people? How often can we say that we have benefited
from a friend’s wisdom? And how often can
we say that the wisdom imparted truly helped us? Not often, I suspect.
We are sadly in need of more Wisdom in our lives – a concept that has become
passé, I fear, a concept looked upon as a relic of past times. I also know that I am not the only one that
benefited from Charlie’s wisdom. I know
that a number of his friends, who at one time or other have experienced a “crisis
of faith”, sought his good counsel and I know they were comforted like I
was. And for this, Charlie, we thank you.
But, it was not all solemn and scholarly with our friend.
(Although Charlie was also one of the truest scholars I knew.) Let’s remember his love of laughter and a
good joke and his ability to regale us with stories of days past & his
adventures in the Vatican, New York City and the VA. Given all the many stories we all heard and loved, some years ago, a group of Charlie’s friends
decided to make a film for him. In
spite of the fact that our film making skills were meager and our acting even worse,
we put together a video for one of Charlie’s birthdays. It was spectacular, mostly because we had the
fabulous script of Charlie’s life. In
preparation, we gathered at the Epstein’s beach house and dressed as Nuns and
Priests and even the Pope. We played out
the saga of Charlie’s life complete with a musical background. I remember the night of the party, all of the
actors gathered at Marlene’s eager for the debut of the film and the chance to
bask in the reflected glory of Charlie’s life & our cinematic skills. Suddenly we looked around the room and saw that
it was filled with Doctors and Professors and high-ranking officials of the
Dept. of Veterans Affairs. That gave us
pause, we thought, “Oh No, how is this thing going to play out among all these
important and influential people?” As the
film rolled and our Dear (now also departed…) Stan dressed in a Bee costume, began
to narrate Charlie’s life, accompanied by scenes of Shari and me dressed as Nuns
and my ex-husband as the Pope (giving benediction (w/ my hairbrush) to the
crowds from the loft of the Epstein’s beach house.), there was complete silence. But, our fear was short-lived, almost immediately
Charlie’s huge, booming laugh rolled across the room and soon everyone joined
in. He was delighted that this rag tag
set of would be actors & directors had thought his life worthy of a film!
Yes, Charlie loved his friends; a good meal; his family; a
drink; a good book and a good laugh. He
made our lives brighter. The help and
assistance he gave to those he knew, those he knew well and those he didn’t know
at all will always be remembered. He
touched us, he touched many people and as a result we will never forget
him.
So in your eternal rest, Charlie, raise your glass, have
some jumbo shrimp, tell one of your stories, and continue to inspire us for as
long as we shall live.
I'm just saying...
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