Oh, my God, this is terrible news. Raineypark and I became friends after meeting through the Dark Shadows Forums. We would regularly exchange thoughts and opinions on “Dark Shadows,” “The Sopranos,” the Yankees and the Mets, our Sicilian grandfathers and growing up and living in the greater New York City area, Raineyoark out on Long Island and me across from lower Manhattan on the “Joisey” side of the Hudson River.
I’ve often wondered why Raineypark, who was so active and expressed such thoughtful and insightful opinions on this web site, seemed to just disappear. I sent her several messages with no response. And, now very sadly, I understand why I hadn’t heard from her.
Ironically, I just recently learned that my best friend, a guy I had attended grade school, high school and
college with and shared many adventures with in and around the Big Apple, had died in his sixties from lung cancer. And, I recall discussing the dangers of smoking with Raineypark after she told me that she was a longtime smoker. I told her about my late father, a guy who started smoking as a teenager and like many other young men in his generation, really developed a dependence on tobacco after lighting up so frequently as a means to cope with the stress and fear they experienced as G.I.’s during World War II. I told Raineypark that my father told his cousin and a friend at lunch, that he felt lousy after lighting up a cigarette. He died of a massive heart attack several hours later in front of my mother and his cousin and his wife on the beach at Point Pleasant, NJ. He was just ten days shy of his 70th birthday. Raineypark seemed to be moved by the story of my
father’s death. I urged her to stop smoking for both her sake and for the sake of her husband and children.
I offer my sincere condolences to Raineypark’s family.
Requiem aeternam, Raineypark. Until we meet again on the other side.
Bob
