Tom 1960 Posted February 16, 2009 Report Posted February 16, 2009 (edited) Some of you guys here may be aware that I had developed a friendship with an elderly gentleman in the neighborhood who happened to be a huge jazz fan. He saw alot of the big names over his lifetime. Ellington and Armstrong were just a few. I just received the most unfortunate news that he passed away on February 14. I had some of his music and had the day off from work and wanted to get together with him to exchange music and talk jazz like we usually do. I will normally call ahead and check to see if he has time available to meet. His daughter answered the phone and passed on the sad news. He was a very fine man and I will always will be grateful to have had the privilage to have known him over the past year. For an older gentleman he had a great memory and had fabulous stories to share. He had a wonderful collection of music and is responsible for turning me onto some great music. I will miss our little visits. God Bless You, Lester! Edited February 16, 2009 by Tom 1960 Quote
papsrus Posted February 16, 2009 Report Posted February 16, 2009 Sorry to hear this. You're lucky to have had his friendship. Quote
Shawn Posted February 16, 2009 Report Posted February 16, 2009 Cherish the time you had and the love of music you shared. Quote
save0904 Posted February 16, 2009 Report Posted February 16, 2009 This is really sad news. Keep him in good memory. Quote
BillF Posted February 16, 2009 Report Posted February 16, 2009 Very sorry indeed to hear about that, Tom. Quote
jazzbo Posted February 16, 2009 Report Posted February 16, 2009 So sorry to read this. It's wonderful that you both got to share this friendship. Quote
JSngry Posted February 16, 2009 Report Posted February 16, 2009 Yeah, friendship, the opportunity to voluntarily share lives, is a true blessing. Sorry to hear of your loss, indeed, but also heartened to hear of the opportunity that preceeded it. Quote
Free For All Posted February 16, 2009 Report Posted February 16, 2009 You're lucky to have had his friendship. ...and he yours! Sorry to hear this. I'm sure it brought happiness to him to have someone with whom to share his love of the music. Quote
ValerieB Posted February 16, 2009 Report Posted February 16, 2009 just want to add my condolences, Tom, and to agree with what others said. just curious as to how old Lester was? wonder what he thought about Louis Bellson who passed the same day as he did. Quote
Tom 1960 Posted February 16, 2009 Author Report Posted February 16, 2009 Thanks guys for all the kind words. Lester was a great guy to know. Some of you guys may know that I'm a mail carrier and was his mailman. Lester used to receive jazz catalogues on a regular basis. What really caught my eye one day was the Mosaic Records catalogue. I mean how many people do you know receive the Mosaic catalogue? Right then I knew I had to meet him! I ran into his daughter shortly afterwards, she lived with Lester and arranged for us to meet up. I think the first time we met, we must have talked for a couple hours. In fact, most times our visits would last that length of time. I always wanted to get him on the forum here. I thought he would have been a great contributer. The stories he would tell were priceless. Unfortunately he had difficulty getting around and didn't have access to a computer. I will always cherish my memories with him as brief as our time was and while I'm very sad right now, I imagine he must be checking out some great gigs in jazz heaven. To answer Valerie's question, Lester I believe was 89? Quote
DukeCity Posted February 16, 2009 Report Posted February 16, 2009 Sorry for your loss, Tom. Thanks for sharing a little more about how you two got to know each other. Sounds like he was a great guy. Quote
.:.impossible Posted February 16, 2009 Report Posted February 16, 2009 My Grandfather receives the Mosaic catalog. Not many box sets for his taste in recent years, but he has a few. I'm glad to hear of such a great friendship between neighbors. Most of the folks in my neighborhood seem to keep to themselves. They'll ask what my dog's name is, but not mine. I always find that so strange. So I introduce myself. Quote
mikeweil Posted February 16, 2009 Report Posted February 16, 2009 Sorry to hear this - such encounters are a blessing. Quote
Stereojack Posted February 17, 2009 Report Posted February 17, 2009 You can take some consolation in knowing that every time you hear a record that you and he listened to together or discussed, you will be reminded of him with warm feelings. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted February 17, 2009 Report Posted February 17, 2009 As the "old guy" in most of my joint listening sessions, I appreciate your sentiments. I'm sure he valued your participation more than you know. Thanks to you. Quote
Quincy Posted February 17, 2009 Report Posted February 17, 2009 Sorry to here this. As you two hit it off so quickly I'm sure he greatly enjoyed having someone who cared to share his stories with. Quote
paul secor Posted February 17, 2009 Report Posted February 17, 2009 Tom - Truly sorry for the loss of your friend. It's great that you were able to put yourself out there and that he was able to accept your openness. Says a lot about both of you. Quote
Alexander Posted February 17, 2009 Report Posted February 17, 2009 Some of you guys here may be aware that I had developed a friendship with an elderly gentleman in the neighborhood who happened to be a huge jazz fan. He saw alot of the big names over his lifetime. Ellington and Armstrong were just a few. I just received the most unfortunate news that he passed away on February 14. I had some of his music and had the day off from work and wanted to get together with him to exchange music and talk jazz like we usually do. I will normally call ahead and check to see if he has time available to meet. His daughter answered the phone and passed on the sad news. He was a very fine man and I will always will be grateful to have had the privilage to have known him over the past year. For an older gentleman he had a great memory and had fabulous stories to share. He had a wonderful collection of music and is responsible for turning me onto some great music. I will miss our little visits. God Bless You, Lester! Sounds like you did a great deal to enrich is final years. I can't imagine doing anything more important (other than being a parent, of course)... Quote
papsrus Posted February 17, 2009 Report Posted February 17, 2009 Some of you guys here may be aware that I had developed a friendship with an elderly gentleman in the neighborhood who happened to be a huge jazz fan. He saw alot of the big names over his lifetime. Ellington and Armstrong were just a few. I just received the most unfortunate news that he passed away on February 14. I had some of his music and had the day off from work and wanted to get together with him to exchange music and talk jazz like we usually do. I will normally call ahead and check to see if he has time available to meet. His daughter answered the phone and passed on the sad news. He was a very fine man and I will always will be grateful to have had the privilage to have known him over the past year. For an older gentleman he had a great memory and had fabulous stories to share. He had a wonderful collection of music and is responsible for turning me onto some great music. I will miss our little visits. God Bless You, Lester! Sounds like you did a great deal to enrich is final years. I can't imagine doing anything more important (other than being a parent, of course)... Indeed. It would be wonderful if you could write down some of your memories with him, not necessarily to share here (although that would be generous and appreciated, I'm sure) but for yourself. It sounds like you shared a great friendship through the love of music. A great thing. Quote
AndrewHill Posted February 18, 2009 Report Posted February 18, 2009 Wow Tom, I just read this tonight and I feel that you truly had something special there. I'm really sorry for your loss Quote
Swinger Posted February 18, 2009 Report Posted February 18, 2009 Oh that's too bad Tom! I recall we talked about him several times on Skype. Quote
Jim Alfredson Posted February 19, 2009 Report Posted February 19, 2009 Sorry to hear about this, Tom. My condolences to his family and you. Quote
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