Jeff and I met as high school seniors at the NY Mirror Youth Forum in 1959 where we each represented our Brooklyn high schools..he was from Wingate H.S. and I from Abraham Lincoln. We were 16 and 17 years old at the time. I was smitten by Jeff's maturity and when he took my hand in the back seat of a car driven by a friend, I still remember the thrill that gave me...almost unmatched to this day some 60+ years later. Jeff and I became boyfriend and girlfriend (how quaint that sounds) even though we lived a long distance from one another...two subways and a bus ride apart in the vast borough of Brooklyn.
After a year or so we went our separate ways..he to the University of Wisconsin at Madison and I to Brookly College and then to college on the West Coast. He came out to San Francisco two years later to see me and then we lost touch.
During the intervening years, we had children and careers and even grandchildren. Then in November 2017, we reconnected and Jeff came out west to see me and meet my husband, Mark, who was very gracious to Jeff and they formed a friendly connection. While Mark played golf, Jeff and I spent time learning about who we had become. We had each changed of course, but our common past drew us together. With my husband's blessing, I saw Jeff in Madison several times and got to know some of his friends. I was instantly drawn to them and to the Madison culture which reminded me of S.F. in the 60's where I had lived and gone to school.
During my visits, Jeff became attached to me emotionally but knew that I was not available as a long term partner. Instead, we deepened our spiritual connection but for Jeffrey, there remained a bittersweet acknowledgment that after my last visit we most likely would not see each other again. That did not prove to be the case. Jeff became very ill and spent 7 weeks in intensive care with many ups and downs. When Catherine, Jeff's ex-wife, called me in late September 2019 to let me know that Jeff was unlikely to recover, I flew to Madison from Arizona and spent time with him at his bedside feeling unbearably sad seeing him so ill and not being able to use his glorious voice which had been, for so many years, his stock in trade. He passed away 2 days later.
As I write this, I am one of so many who will miss this wonderful man. However, I will always be so grateful that I had the chance to renew the only non-familial relationship I've ever had that has spanned a lifetime - rich with love and laughter, happiness and sadness. I know, for absolute certainty, that we will meet again. I promised him this and I always keep my promises. I love you Jeffrey and always will... into eternity.
After a year or so we went our separate ways..he to the University of Wisconsin at Madison and I to Brookly College and then to college on the West Coast. He came out to San Francisco two years later to see me and then we lost touch.
During the intervening years, we had children and careers and even grandchildren. Then in November 2017, we reconnected and Jeff came out west to see me and meet my husband, Mark, who was very gracious to Jeff and they formed a friendly connection. While Mark played golf, Jeff and I spent time learning about who we had become. We had each changed of course, but our common past drew us together. With my husband's blessing, I saw Jeff in Madison several times and got to know some of his friends. I was instantly drawn to them and to the Madison culture which reminded me of S.F. in the 60's where I had lived and gone to school.
During my visits, Jeff became attached to me emotionally but knew that I was not available as a long term partner. Instead, we deepened our spiritual connection but for Jeffrey, there remained a bittersweet acknowledgment that after my last visit we most likely would not see each other again. That did not prove to be the case. Jeff became very ill and spent 7 weeks in intensive care with many ups and downs. When Catherine, Jeff's ex-wife, called me in late September 2019 to let me know that Jeff was unlikely to recover, I flew to Madison from Arizona and spent time with him at his bedside feeling unbearably sad seeing him so ill and not being able to use his glorious voice which had been, for so many years, his stock in trade. He passed away 2 days later.
As I write this, I am one of so many who will miss this wonderful man. However, I will always be so grateful that I had the chance to renew the only non-familial relationship I've ever had that has spanned a lifetime - rich with love and laughter, happiness and sadness. I know, for absolute certainty, that we will meet again. I promised him this and I always keep my promises. I love you Jeffrey and always will... into eternity.