It was a privilege knowing Michael and Mary Jo. My wife and I have nothing but joyous memories of our times together in Virginia and New Jersey. They were happy times and Michael's infectious smile, shown so vividly in the photo here, is how we will always remember him. You could not be unhappy in his presence.
On one of the famly visits to Harrisonburg, while PJ attended JMU, we took a Saturday morning trip for apples just outisde the town. Michael asked me to stop near a cow pasture so that he could talk with the cows. He stood by the fence and spoke with them for about fifteen minutes. No one and no thing escaped his wonderful conversation and sense of humor.
That same weekend, our adolescent daughter, who loved to debate politics with Michael, mentioned that she was bored. Michael's reply, delivered with a close to a striaght face as I ever saw on him, was perfect. "You can't be bored. You' re too young and have not done enough to be bored." He was spot on and non of us, even Laura, has ever fogotten.
When I think of MichaelMary Jo, and the Caggiano family, I think of laughter, good shared times, and how they have enriched our lives. While Michael's passing fills us all with sadness, the memories of his company will remain with us.
I drove by the pasture this morning and shared the sad news with the cows. They silently bowed their heads.