Last but not least, my mother asked me to include a few additional details about my father that she feels need to be mentioned. He was a devoted reader who cultivated a love of books for his entire life—a passion that he never lost, even during his final weeks when his eyesight failed him. And his jovial manner of speaking, which was one of his trademarks, was an expression of his kindness and decency—aspects of his character that he retained, with great courage and determination, right up to the very end.
