Dear Daryl

(To the memory of Daryl Kauffman, an extraordinary man and superlative neighbor in every sense of the word.)

Dear Daryl,

The past several months have witnessed terrible changes in our world. The life we knew, the lives we knew, have all been turned upside-down. In the midst of a global pandemic, as the world’s greatest experiments in democracy seem to slide toward the dark side of authoritarianism, among the thousands of people around the world who died yesterday, Sunday, 26 July, the world lost a truly loving soul.

You are gone from us.

It’s impossible to read anyone’s heart, I admit. But with you what we saw you do, what we heard you say and so very importantly what you did told us what we needed to know about you. You were, are, a GOOD MAN. Period.

A father, husband, friend and neighbor, those words are just the beginning. Since Susan and I have known you, five years now, you have have spent every day helping others, making life a bit easier for those who couldn’t do for themselves. You did it with a smile on your lips. Your one goal in life seemed, simply enough, to make this place a better world.

But your race, as they say, is run. Your sufferings of this world are behind you. You have truly earned a “rest in peace.”

I believe I speak for so many when I say thank you, Daryl. For helping, for serving, and for being here with us.

Steve Soper
Susan VandenBerg