SINS OF THE SISTER - PART ONE: REQUIEM FOR A WOOLY MAN

November 4, 2011
Orange County, Ca.
The Funeral of my brother, Gary Prince

Requiem For A Righteous Prince

   There is a Hebrew word - Tsadik - a word translated as the perfectly righteous.  Gary's Hebrew name was Yisrael - which means Prince. Tsadik Yisrael - A Righteous Prince.

    I have been fortunate enough to have been Gary' sister and lucky enough to have had him love me.

    People have stood up today and talked about Gary's generosity, his frugality, his dirty  jokes and emails, speaking only of his bargain hunting, his finances, his humor.  I heard someone say how angry they were that Gary was taken from us.  I need to address the other side of Gary and the nature of his true spirit.
    When I first heard my brother was gone, I never once experienced anything remotely like anger.  Instead, I felt honored.  Honor and privilege were the first things I felt when I heard my brother had died.  Honor and pride were the last things I recalled when he was still alive.
    For me, Gary was about many things, but generosity and jokes were not among them.  Strip Gary of his money, his dirty jokes and his crude presentation of them and what you had was the Gary I knew:  the sweet, gentle, kind little boy who became the man with those same qualities.  Without the smoke screen of humor and finance, what you had was a man of great integrity and devotion, a fiercely loyal, loving man who was pure, genuine and all things good and decent.
    As a child and as a man, Gary's essence was about making those he loved safe and secure and knowing you were never alone, never without guidance, never without sanctuary.

    Mitch Albom wrote in his book  Have A Little Faith :

    "  If you could pack for heaven, this is how you'd do it - 
        Touching everything, taking nothing..."

    This is indeed what Gary did.  He wanted nothing in return for his deeds, but made it his job to change everything in his world, making it all a little better than before he got there.  He was a master at teaching, yet his delivery was terrible and often misunderstood.

    Those who knew Gary, really knew him, understood this:  That beyond the crudeness and the laughter was an amazingly serious, highly principled, complex, joyous and sensitive man whose one true ambition was and always has been to right what was wrong, fix what was broken, fill what was empty and love and cherish everything around him.  His passion for life, his family, his friends and his business associates was like nothing I had ever seen before.  For me, knowing Gary loved me and honored me a his sister made me see the worth I often doubted.
    Yes, he was an extraordinary man.  But Gary taught me on a regular basis that there is true greatness in ordinary things.  Ordinary things like love, loyalty, family, faith, compassion and joy.
    I still can't imagine a world without my dear big brother in it, yet I know I am forever changed and bettered by him.  It has been written that the only full heart is a broken one.  My world is indeed a little colder now, a lot less safe and a whole lot bigger.  And still, my heart is finally full.
    I know I'll be living my life from here on in honoring more than just a memory, more than just a man.  I will be carrying a little piece of Gary with me for the rest of my days and that, in itself, will make all the difference.

    Gary, we are all so very proud of you, so grateful you were here.  You were loved and honored beyond your wildest dreams and you did absolutely everything you set out to do and then some.  You made a difference, you mattered, you listened, you helped, you healed and you made us all believe, that in your eyes, we were blessed, validated and heard.  You touched everything within your reach and carried the burdens of those around you on your strong, steady shoulders and in your true and gentle heart.  You were so many things to so many people.  We adored you, we trusted you, we counted on you and what you gave us in return was the most important thing of all - knowing that somewhere out there, as dependable as the promise of a sunrise through the impending darkness, there was someone who believed in us, wholeheartedly,  and would never let us down.
    You'll be leaving behind more than you'll ever know.  There is a whole family, an entire community who have lost both their anchor and their light, their reason and their grace.  May we all find our way without you now with God's mercy and our precious memories of you and all you have taught us by your example.  You were truly one of the good guys, saving the day one soul at a time.
    You've changed my world and made it a better, sweeter, warmer place to be.  Thank you for all that you were, all that you've done and the legacy you have left us with.
    Good-bye, my righteous prince.
    Good-bye