I have known Joe since I was 10 years old, about 56 years. I remember when he was dating my sister, Teddy, their wedding, first apartment, his artwork, the birth of their sons and everything in between. Joe was a quiet man with a quick and often devilishly clever wit. He introduced me to my love of all things Sci-fi with a paperback novel of Ursula Le Guin short stories. I was hooked. My imagination sored with this other worldly slant on life. It was fabulous. I have Joe to thank for what was a momentous moment in my life and sparking my desire to write. Although Joe loved a heated debate with a worthy opponent or challenging game playing, he was the calm amidst everyone else’s storm. Joe listened (often while continuing to work on a project or even being in another room) and then when asked would stop long enough to provide his take on the situation, various scenarios for remedies and finally his suggestion. I often thought he was not paying attention at all to what was being said but he heard everything and only ventured into the melee when required. These past few years, his love for his 3 beloved dogs knew no bounds and he would not go anywhere without them. They say dog is man’s best friend. Joe was dog’s best friend. Years ago, despite Teddy’s protests for his allergies, Joe sat in the back seat of my car while I drove us from Atlanta, Georgia to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, just so he could sit with my Terrier and Pomeranian. The dog hair was all over him but he never complained, kept smiling and even had one dog sitting on his lap. I did not see Joe often these last few years but it will be difficult to think that he is no longer with us. Joe was an agnostic and when I was a teenager he told me once he thought that when you died that was it, there was nothing else. I like to think that when Joe passed he saw Teddy, and everyone else who went before him, was startled and said “Oh, okay.” and kept on walking forward smiling. Even though this is my belief, that thought makes his leaving bearable. Funny Story - Joe was able to skip 2 years, I believe, off from going to school by disconnecting the bell to his parents' phone. He eventually graduated with Teddy from Walt Whitman High School even though he was 2 years older but they never met until they were on a bus together in New York City. When I went to Walt Whitman High School I had some teachers who knew both Teddy and Joe and I would say “Do you remember Teddy Dobrolski” and the response was “Oh yes she was wonderful how is she doing?” I would say “She is great she is married to Joe Lawrence.” The teachers all responded with shock and one said “Oh no, he is the type that would be on drugs now if he was in school.” They were just floored. Teddy and Joe couldn’t stop laughing when I told them.