[Leica] the funeral for Dr Gross

[george.imagist at icloud.com (George Lottermoser)]

On Jun 7, 2014, at 8:04 AM, scleroplex wrote:

> greetings!
> have not been able to keep up with the photos on LUG as my friend was dying
> from brain cancer and i spent as much time with him as i could. LUGgers may
> recall my series from 2 years ago when he was first diagnosed. he passed
> away a few days ago, 2 years after diagnosis, at 66.
> 
> i viewed him as a great man. here are a few photos from his funeral -
> 
> 1  http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/scleroplex/funeral+27.jpg.html
> 
> 2  http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/scleroplex/funeral+15.jpg.html
> 
> 3  http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/scleroplex/funeral+10.jpg.html
> 
> 4  http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/scleroplex/funeral+9.jpg.html
> 
> 5  http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/scleroplex/funeral+7.jpg.html
> 
> i was honoured to be asked to present my eulogy at the funeral.
> here it is -
> 
> *An Eulogy for my friend Dr Richard Gross *
> 
> 
> I never imagined I would be delivering an eulogy for my friend quite this
> soon. But here we are. Doubtless this is an incredibly sad moment. We who
> are left behind count the graduations and weddings and grandchildren he
> missed, the happy retirement he was owed. But life makes us constantly
> evaluate our present and re-evaluate our past. And makes us grateful for
> what we were given. In my case I was given the unalloyed friendship of a
> great human being.
> 
> 
> Dick and Robin, as we know, have a huge number of amazingly good friends.
> But I feel a touch more special. Not only was I Dick?s friend for years,
> for three of them I was also a colleague in his practice, working in the
> same space. Just as the people who worked with Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis
> Kahn in their offices and people who published papers with P?l Erd?s or
> Bucky Fuller, for the rest of my life I can claim to be from Dr Gross?
> Clinic. And that is incredibly important for me as Dr Gross epitomized what
> a physician and a human being should be.
> 
> 
> Unlike many in our profession who are swayed by political winds and waves,
> by fear of standing out, petrified by the thought of not belonging to a
> group, Dr Gross maintained his independent counsel, scientific method and
> steely resolve to the very end. Right was right and wrong was wrong. Every
> relationship was a covenant and a duty. Respect for the individual was
> paramount. His very life defined integrity.
> 
> 
> My friend Dick was extremely well read and had instant recall for almost
> everything from the particulars of a patient who had passed many years ago,
> to the details of the events at Babi Yar in September 1941 to the latest
> results of clinical trials. Every minute with him was uplifting.
> 
> 
> And he loved doing things with his hands. For the rest of my life I shall
> cherish the memory and photograph of Dick buffing out scratches in the
> paint of my car. He also loved photography, a passion we both shared, and
> gallery wrapped his own prints.
> 
> 
> But what I shall remember most about my friend is the pure humility of the
> man. He took every day as a gift, with no bitterness or resentment, always
> thankful for everything, never ever feeling entitled in any way and his
> brilliant happy smile washed away all the ills of the world. I pray I shall
> be able to be that way in my own life. And like him, I too am grateful I
> could spend the past 2 years in his company and the past week just touching
> him and holding him close.
> 
> 
> The world remembers many brave great people, like Solzhenitsyn. My friend
> Dr Richard Gross was at least as great.
> 
> thank you for looking + reading.
> bharani

Your love and respect for your friend glows through your galleries and words.

Thank you for sharing your heart.

Regards,
George Lottermoser 

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