Epilogue

My father got some but not all of his requests for when he died. He is buried in the US Veterans' Administration's Puerto Rico National Cemetery because he thought there were too few Jews represented in that place of national recognition. He hadn't wanted any religion or rabbis but he got some of that anyway. The Reform Jewish Congregation's visiting rabbi led the graveside services and the Mourning Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead. Louise, the children and the grandchildren stood by the grave and sang “Sunrise, Sunset.” Everybody cried. As if on cue, the tropical skies opened up just as the casket was lowered into the ground. His gravestone is etched with the words, “Te amamos siempre, paisano https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203798744/6599540b-358a-4a84-97c0-57b44e3046ae/content/page_v_3_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>”¹