Irv
On September 2, 2008 Irving Kupferberg was laid to
rest. His leaving us was peaceful and he is now in a better place....probably
telling stories to friends who have gone before. I can see him now with that
special twinkle in his eye and a little bit of mischief in his voice saying "for
an accountant... I've lived a pretty exciting life."
A testament to Irv was the gathering of four
hundred friends and family members to honor his life and many spoke of their
love for him and the influence he had on their lives. I too was honored to be
called his friend and I shall miss him....a martini, dry,with two olives will
always bring a smile to my face as it was his drink of choice. Very quietly he
would say to me, " I have to be careful, I keep telling everybody you're my
boyfriend...they might not understand." The memory of him will live with me
always.
Tracy has been a tower of strength during this long
period of hope and I often listened to Irv telling me about how she would always
be there for him even though he wasn't always in the best of moods. "What a
comfort for me" he would say. "I don't know what I would do without
her."
He loved the desert and though he didn't hike with
the club his heart was always with us. Always eager to volunteer his services,
no task was too small. Helping out at one of the booths at the Hike for Hope,
hosting an event at their home, providing a car for a shuttle hike made Irv feel
like he was getting his boots in the dust....that was my friend Irv. He has
made this earth a better place.
Irv's friend,
Ron
