In Memoriam
My baby brother is gone.
Miles Dolph Ehrlich, April 12, 1958 - July 15, 2008. A scholar and a gentleman. A man of unlimited intellectual curiosity, of great concern for his fellow human beings and for this planet. A man who felt it his responsibility to act and make a difference where he could, in both the personal and political spheres. That at least three of our cousins are functioning members of society today is in large part due to the intervention and support they received from Miles. By the time he turned twenty-five he had moved across the country to stand (unofficially) in loco parentis for them when their parents weren't up to the job. He spent nearly fifteen years at the task, and continued to be an emotional lifeline for them until the end.
And after years of doing the right thing by his family, the working class, and the environment, he finally, last fall, found his lady love. He was happier than I'd ever seen him. Susie said they had ten perfect months together. In April she threw a surprise birthday party for him, and a couple dozen family members showed up to help him celebrate a half century of life. Three months later many of the family convened for my niece's Bas Mitzvah. Miles had picked up my mother en route, and was dropping her off at her home afterward, on the way back to his place, when his life was cut unexpectedly short by an almost entirely occluded coronary artery.
Too damn soon.
Miles Dolph Ehrlich, April 12, 1958 - July 15, 2008. A scholar and a gentleman. A man of unlimited intellectual curiosity, of great concern for his fellow human beings and for this planet. A man who felt it his responsibility to act and make a difference where he could, in both the personal and political spheres. That at least three of our cousins are functioning members of society today is in large part due to the intervention and support they received from Miles. By the time he turned twenty-five he had moved across the country to stand (unofficially) in loco parentis for them when their parents weren't up to the job. He spent nearly fifteen years at the task, and continued to be an emotional lifeline for them until the end.
And after years of doing the right thing by his family, the working class, and the environment, he finally, last fall, found his lady love. He was happier than I'd ever seen him. Susie said they had ten perfect months together. In April she threw a surprise birthday party for him, and a couple dozen family members showed up to help him celebrate a half century of life. Three months later many of the family convened for my niece's Bas Mitzvah. Miles had picked up my mother en route, and was dropping her off at her home afterward, on the way back to his place, when his life was cut unexpectedly short by an almost entirely occluded coronary artery.
Too damn soon.