A Hesped For A Friend

I woke up today to some sad news. An old friend, Dan Singer, passed away. Baruch Dayan HaEmet. Dan was a great guy. He was always so friendly and kind. We were neighbors for a few years in Boca. He would come over to learn some Torah and we would have a great schmooze. He would help with anything: building a Sukkah, changing a car battery, making his signature magnets for a business, giving out head flashlights during a hurricane. Always with a sincere smile on his face. I remember that Dan was always prepared for anything. He had his house wired and stocked for any kind of emergency and you knew that Dan was going to be there for you in case of emergency. And he was even there for the animals. I remember Dan and Terry shipping in baby ducks which they literally fed and raised until the ducks got too loud. I also remember how active he was. He would take the kids biking, kayaking, etc... all the time. I even remember them learning how to kayak in the community pool. Every week it was a new adventure to some nature preserve or Everglades sanctuary. He spent a lot of time with his kids and loved them dearly. But there are two things which stick out most in my mind most when I think about Dan. One is how he ran away from Machloket. I remember how when someone offended him somehow he would be Maavir Al Midotav and not make a scene. The 2nd thing I remember most about Dan is how he had this uncanny ability to learn and remember new people's names (Something I am working hard at these days). We both moved to Boca at the same time. Every Shabbat I would come home from shul and feel overwhelmed by all the new names of the people I had met. And I might actually remember 2-3. Dan would come home and tell me about 10 different people he had met. And not just their names but specific details about them. He made it look so easy! But the truth was that not only was he a sharp mind. He also just really cared and when he asked you about yourself it wasn't just small talk. He really wanted to make a connection. Dan, I'm so sorry that I wasn't more supportive during hard times and more present in your life after you left Boca. I was not as good a friend to you as you were to me. I hope you can forgive me. I will try to take the lessons I learned from you and be a better person. You will not be forgotten.