This was a bittersweet weekend.
On Thursday, we had our third annual Running for Rebecca. An absolutely perfect weather evening at Maurice Park, we had an amazing turnout. We flooded the park with red t-shirts and paid tribute to our forever angel. It was great to see everybody, especially after going through this pandemic. I got to see my cousin’s new baby, Saoirse Elizabeth for the first time. (It’s pronounced Sir Sha for the Gaelicly challenged) Really, just perfect.
And our team, whose goal was $4,500 ended up doubling that. As of this writing, the total sits at $9,319.38! And my Weekly Mail team contributed $1,711 to that total. It’s breathtaking and humbling that in these tough pandemic times we were able to raise that kind of money for the AHA.
It’s hard to find the words to properly express my gratitude to all of you. To just say thank you and I love you all doesn’t seem to cover it. But it’s the truth. All the love and all the thanks to you for your support and generosity.
Then on Saturday, we gathered to say goodbye to one of the all time greats.
One year ago this past Sunday, we lost Kevin Francis (Buck) Ludwig to cancer. With the pandemic at it’s peak here in NY, many of us couldn’t give him the goodbye he so much deserved.
On Saturday we did.
The Mass at St. Mary’s was packed, as it surely would have been last year. The priest Fr. Frank was outstanding, telling some classic Kevin Ludwig stories.
There were 3 eulogies, Kevin’s wife Ann, Woodside legend Brian Anderson, and Kris (Loogie) Ludwig, each of them nailing the essence of the man perfectly. To wit: The more he liked you, the more he ragged on you.
After Mass we headed to Donovan’s for dinner. It was good to be back. It was weird seeing the bar empty, but it almost felt like old times again. It was great catching up with the Ludwigs, DePuy’s and the rest of the old Woodside crew.
It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: As much as I loved seeing everyone on Thursday night and Saturday, as much as I appreciate how much money we raised, as happy as I was to see him get the farewell he deserved, I’d give it all up to have them both back.
Becky and Buck. Gone too soon. In our hearts forever.
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I was going to write about the debate in Congress about the 1/6 commission and also preview the Knicks-Hawks playoff series. But I think we’ll save that either for later this week or next weekend. Tonight, I’ll just leave this post as is, as a tribute to my niece and my buddy.
Stay safe, please get vaccinated if you can
and Have a Great Week
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