Last week was quite the week for me and my family. On the afternoon of Tuesday, November 13, 2007, my dad received one of the saddest calls he, and we as a family, have ever recceived. The call brought word that Howie Bergtraum had passed away after his breif battle with cancer.
Howie was my dad's best friend since they were 5 years old. My dad introduced himself to Howie as "Butch", and that set the stage for the next 56 years of their relationship in which Howie would pretty much always get a laugh at my father's expense.
When I was two years old, my family moved from our apartment in Forest Hills to our house on Pasture Lane, just down the bock from the Bergtraums. Since then, I could never imagine my life without Howie, Susan, Jordan, Matt and Andrea. Howie, was like my second father, and even, on occasion, yelled at me as if I were another member of the family (growing up on Pasture Lane together, the Roslyns and the Bergtraums always found a way to get into trouble--that's what 4 boys and 2 girls do). Of course, the incident that made me so scared of Howie that I'd run home whenever I saw him, was when he yelled at me and Andrea for sticking our fingers into the spokes of a stationary bike while the other was riding it.
Beyond his intimidating exterior, though, was a brilliant mind, a pillar of ethical and moral behavior and a caring, generous and loyal soul who always put his family and friends first. He was always willing to give of his time and energy to charities and to his community.
Throughout the years, Howie gave so much to my family, and we have shared so many special moments with the Bergtraums that I don't know if I could ever show them how special they all are to me and my family, or ever repay to them what they and Howie have given to us.
This year, I will be riding in memory of Howie. Although, he did not suffer from MS, his generous nature and inspirational character are more than worth being remembered and honored.
We all will miss him greatly.
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