Rolf and his granddaughter Katrina
We lost a great friend this week. Rolf passed away Monday in his sleep.
Rolf was - is - an amazing man. I only got to know him in the last few years, after dementia had taken hold. Another friend, who knew Rolf for years. said he loved to just hang out with Rolf, that he (Rolf) always had such amazing stories to tell. He said every time he was with Rolf he learned something new.
Father, grandfather, husband, the love of Carole's life, engineer, scientist (he worked for years at the observatory in Arecibo here in PR), sailor (he skippered his own boat through the islands many times), swimmer, railroad aficionado (he volunteered his time to help rebuild a steam locomotive and then helped run it). And these are just the few tip-of-the-iceberg things I know about him.
We all loved him. Even as his memory declined, we all waited and hung on those occasional, surprising lucid moments.
Rolf, I hope you are at peace, without pain. I've seen your warm wonderful incredible smile in every rainbow this week. (I once asked Carole if it was Rolf's deep blue eyes or that smile that got her first. She replied, "yes.") Your spirit and presence are and will be missed.
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