Joseph and I we were partners for 14 years.  

In Your Eyes, by Peter Gabriel was our song and every time I hear it, I think of him. It talks about the struggles of life and relationship but how the other person always comes back to the other person in the end, finding salvation in the other person’s eyes. 

In Joseph’s life, he was a photographer, carpenter, scientist, artist and my best friend. To me he was my supporter, offering tenderness, humor, caring and devotion as a partner. 

 As the youngest in a family of 5 siblings, he appreciated family and I remember sitting around his mother’s kitchen table and talking about the old days in Brooklyn. I was enamored with that side of him and the nostalgia of it all. 

To me, I’ll always remember the trips to Prospect Park, Coney Island, and other parts of NYC and Brooklyn, exploring, getting into things, and taking pictures together. He always had his camera, documenting the things he would see and our time together. 

I was driving after he died and heard “This is the End” By the Doors. The first verse hit me hard. It goes:

This is the end, beautiful friend
This is the end, my only friend
The end of our elaborate plans
The end of ev’rything that stands
The end

No safety or surprise
The end
I’ll never look into your eyes again

I will miss his companionship the most of all. There is definitely an empty space now without him. All of us will love and miss him and I will always hold him deep in my heart. 

Rest in peace, Joseph.