Thanks everyone for your expressions of sympathy. I will tell you a few things about him briefly.

My brother had an infectious smile. When he smiled he lit up the room. He was a Lieutenant in the Nassau County Police Department. He was known for being somewhat of a cheap-skate - my mother called him frugal .

On the day of his funeral, the police department was so wonderful to us. It began with a motorcade from the funeral home, led by 17 motorcycle cops, and followed by five police cars. In the course of one morning, we shut down Hillside Avenue, Lakeview Road, Northern State Parkway, Meadowbrook Parkway, Southern State Parkway (twice), Sunrise Highway, Merrick Road and Merrick Avenue.

When we arrived at the church, no less than 200 police lined the street saluting, and there was a bagpipe band of about 30 strong.

While nothing will ever make me feel okay about having lost my brother, the respect shown to him and to us on the day of his funeral sure did take the sting out of it a bit.

I will say my prayers every day for all members of this wonderful board, that you recover from your illnesses and that you do not have to face a recurrence.

Be strong, keep the faith, and keep fighting.

Love to all,

Colleen