I am occasionally given an honor that I can't really express what it means to me. When someone trusts me to document something as important as a memorial service for a loved one lost it is truly an honor.
In a short span of time at the end of this summer I was asked to do this twice.
One took me back to my ancestral grounds in Rhode Island and included a service in one of the oldest churches in the United States. The history of this place was not lost on me and I wondered if any of my relatives had sat in this church over the last couple centuries. This was for a dear friend's father who passed away during COVID from a battle with cancer. My friend also lost her sister soon after and for her memorial we all went out on Narragansett Bay in a former America's Cup champion boat that was once called John F. Kennedy's favorite sail boat.
It was a remarkable journey for me to witness and be a part of this saying goodbye..
The other memorial was for a newer friend of mine who passed away in August of 2020. This man , Paul Wittreich, I knew as a fellow photographer and just a darn nice guy. His wife Terri asked me to come document a memorial gathering on the top floor of Debence Historic Music World back home here in Franklin. This also was beautiful in another way for me, because I really got a chance to meet a Paul I didn't know.
I either did not realize, or I didn't remember Paul was also a painter. We always talked about photography.
As I walked around the room looking at the display of his paintings, photographs, sculptures and memorabilia, I found out this nice man, who I chatted with about f-stops and shutter-speeds, was indeed a renaissance man. An Ivy League scholar, a Korean War era Navy veteran, a research chemist, a marathoner, an avid bike peddler who would go coast to coast more than once, a world traveler, author and illustrator and he wasn't afraid to tackle anything including opponents on the football field or a feisty band director who he fell in love with and lived out the last many years of his life with on a hill in Franklin, Pennsylvania.
Losing Paul Wittreich was losing an incredible human who lived quite a life. And the people who came to pay tribute to he and his family understood that better than anyone.
I found myself in awe of what was on display. The easel with his final painting in the works surrounded with his brushes and palettes as if awaiting his return.
The painting above caught my attention right away. It's beautifully painted with only a few strokes really and great color. This painting really stood out and then engaged me look closer at others.
In a short span of time at the end of this summer I was asked to do this twice.
One took me back to my ancestral grounds in Rhode Island and included a service in one of the oldest churches in the United States. The history of this place was not lost on me and I wondered if any of my relatives had sat in this church over the last couple centuries. This was for a dear friend's father who passed away during COVID from a battle with cancer. My friend also lost her sister soon after and for her memorial we all went out on Narragansett Bay in a former America's Cup champion boat that was once called John F. Kennedy's favorite sail boat.
It was a remarkable journey for me to witness and be a part of this saying goodbye..
The other memorial was for a newer friend of mine who passed away in August of 2020. This man , Paul Wittreich, I knew as a fellow photographer and just a darn nice guy. His wife Terri asked me to come document a memorial gathering on the top floor of Debence Historic Music World back home here in Franklin. This also was beautiful in another way for me, because I really got a chance to meet a Paul I didn't know.
I either did not realize, or I didn't remember Paul was also a painter. We always talked about photography.
As I walked around the room looking at the display of his paintings, photographs, sculptures and memorabilia, I found out this nice man, who I chatted with about f-stops and shutter-speeds, was indeed a renaissance man. An Ivy League scholar, a Korean War era Navy veteran, a research chemist, a marathoner, an avid bike peddler who would go coast to coast more than once, a world traveler, author and illustrator and he wasn't afraid to tackle anything including opponents on the football field or a feisty band director who he fell in love with and lived out the last many years of his life with on a hill in Franklin, Pennsylvania.
Losing Paul Wittreich was losing an incredible human who lived quite a life. And the people who came to pay tribute to he and his family understood that better than anyone.
I found myself in awe of what was on display. The easel with his final painting in the works surrounded with his brushes and palettes as if awaiting his return.
The painting above caught my attention right away. It's beautifully painted with only a few strokes really and great color. This painting really stood out and then engaged me look closer at others.
| I then saw on the other side of the room this little fellow staring over at me almost saying "what about me?" Indeed I thought, Wow, what an outstanding portrait this is. He did a lot of portraits and each one had quite a personality that came right off the canvas or board. I'd say I returned to look at this portrait and the yellow bike five or six times in the hour or so I was there. I could tell looking at these paintings how much he loved painting and finding a way to communicate through the medium. This boy's body language engaged me to wonder what he was up to. It seemed almost like a Huck Finn portrait as much as it did one of his grandkids. |  |
I could've looked at this painting all day. Even now writing this I keep scrolling back and forth.
Then I saw, tucked into the corner, old newspaper clips with old newspaper photographs. As an old newspaper man myself, I wanted a closer look. There was an outstanding football photo that really grabbed my attention. As a photographer and photo history buff, I knew that image was taken with a bulky single shot type of camera without the fancy telephoto lenses we use today. I also knew the action was pretty close to the unflinching photographer.
I wanted to read the caption for details and that's when I learned the speedy back leaving the opponents in his dust was the same guy whose paintings I was just marveling at... the renaisance man.
I wanted to read the caption for details and that's when I learned the speedy back leaving the opponents in his dust was the same guy whose paintings I was just marveling at... the renaisance man.
I told Terri as I was leaving that I felt I cheated myself out of not getting to know Paul better all those times we talked and that I really was honored she asked me to come document the gathering and remembrance.
Covering this I realized Paul was again teaching me something from beyond. I always appreciated his insights on photography and I learn so much from these moments when someone shares their interest with me. Here, at this event, he taught me that I need to take more time when someones blesses me with their interest in me. Paul kept asking me questions about me and my work over the last few years that we tended to focus too much on that and not enough time learning more and more from his extraordinary life.
My loss. This community lost a real gem too.
Covering this I realized Paul was again teaching me something from beyond. I always appreciated his insights on photography and I learn so much from these moments when someone shares their interest with me. Here, at this event, he taught me that I need to take more time when someones blesses me with their interest in me. Paul kept asking me questions about me and my work over the last few years that we tended to focus too much on that and not enough time learning more and more from his extraordinary life.
My loss. This community lost a real gem too.
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