A Tribute to Henry

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Dear Editor,

Whenever I travel to Texas to visit my daughters and their families, I always look forward to the trip to see them - of course…but I also look forward to simply visiting the great state of Texas and the friendliness of its 'average' residents! I would pull into the parking lot for the local grocery store on route to my daughter's house to pick up some bananas and by time I got into the store, got my bananas, and back out to my car, I would have been greeted by at least 8 people!!! NO exaggeration!

"Good morning, sir"," Good day, sir", "How are you today, sir"….on and on and on!!!

It is an experience all of itself! The friendliness and caring of these total strangers - NOT JUST EMPLOYEES mind you, always amazes me. It is like being on a different planet compared to back home in New England and Massachusetts! Except of course, for Westborough, that is!

Why do I say 'except' Westborough?

Could it be the influence of a very popular man by the name of HENRY?

Henry, who passed away recently, was truly a jewel to the town of Westborough.

He will be sorely missed by many people!It seemed everyone knew Henry…or at least saw him around town. Henry was a people lover and was deeply loved by many people in return. On an average day, Henry would have not only greeted more than a dozen individuals during the course of the day but would also introduce himself and oftentimes those of us blessed to be sitting with him.

I must admit, I felt uncomfortable at times as he would ask total strangers their names and sometimes got some pretty bad looks (especially in the NE neck of the woods)…but for Henry, that was a small price to pay for the joy he felt from getting to know as many people as he possibly could in his lifetime! As a matter of fact, I began to do the math one day and figured out that at the rate
that he was going, Henry would have formally and personally met in excess of a million individual people during the course of his life! A lot of people assumed that Henry would simply forget their names after such a brief encounter and even commented as such to him but no way!!! Henry had an incredible memory for names. Countless people would attest to that fact! People were astounded when they would see him weeks, or even months later and be remembered by Henry as he called them by name!

Yes, Henry was a jewel for this town in s-o-o-o many ways. A lot of the business establishments, especially restaurants would hope that Henry would give them his nod of approval. What would Henry's nod of approval mean? LOTS OF BUSINESS for the restaurant he would choose! Henry loved to go out to eat or have coffee and simply enjoy people. Henry never drove but he assembled a whole network of friends to drive him places and in particular to his favorite eating establishments. Henry would try to arrange breakfast at one place, lunch at another, and supper at a third, either with the same driver…or two or three drivers! Among his favorite places he would frequent were: JP's, Christina's, Piccadilly Pub, South Street Diner, Harry's, and many others too many to recall/list…and of course…Dunkin Donuts - the one up town, the one downtown, and the midtown one too…for the 'in between' meal coffee breaks! He liked to mix things up so he could meet new people all the time! He loved people!

What he did not like was to stay home alone! He hated staying home!!! He never complained though. He always took action that would alleviate his aloneness! He had an incredible memory for phone numbers too!!!

To that end, I would oftentimes take Henry on rides with me as I work part time as a courier. At least it would get him out of the house for a while. It didn't take long for me to recognize that besides going out to eat, Henry had a 'few' other main passions. The second passion of course...was riding. Just plain riding. It never mattered where I was going. He just loved to ride along! He turned out to be a great co-pilot too! His passion for riding turned out to benefit me indirectly and directly. You see, Henry loved to pray the rosary and that was one of his favorite pastimes, wherever he would be. It happens that I enjoy doing the same thing and he and I became avid prayer buddies as we journeyed all over, making our various pickups and deliveries. I remember one time when there were no jobs and work was very slow and there was a bit of a lull. Therefore no rides...so he told me that maybe I would get a job to Connecticut. He especially loved those long rides! I said to him "Sure Henry, you pray and ask for a job to Connecticut and if it comes, I will take you along". NOT 5 MINUTES LATER my phone rang and the dispatcher asked me if I would be able to make a pick up in Connecticut! I got chills! From that day on, I considered Henry's prayers quite extraordinary! I figured he had some kind of direct line to God…and the more I knew him, the clearer that fact became! More and more people would ask Henry for prayer favors, as it became known that when Henry prayed, God listened!

Another passion of Henry's was his working Bingo every week at the Knights of Columbus hall. He loved working there and the people loved buying their cards from him in particular. I think they thought getting their cards from Henry would bring them good luck! (I wouldn't doubt it if it did) He rarely missed a night working Bingo in nearly three decades but when he did, on occasion, he was sorely missed! "Where's Henry?" would ring out in the hall! Another passion for Henry was his membership in the Knights of Columbus itself. Henry held an important position in the organization and my understanding is that he missed very few, if any, meetings and his attendance was impeccably dependable! He was such a loyal member to the Knights that he received commendations that hang on the wall in his apartment.

That leads me to another passion: HATS! Henry loved to wear hats and was rarely seen without one...but he was very specific about which ones he chose to wear. Most of the time he would wear his Knights of Columbus hat, as he loved that organization dearly, and throughout our travels together, he would constantly be asked what council he belonged when people saw his hat. Then he would be 'off' talking to strangers about his beloved Westborough Council.

During the Red Sox season, he would always don his 'B' hat and constantly check up on the Sox standings. The Red Sox never gave him a commission but his enthusiasm for that team surely brought a lot of attention to their annual progress and popularity! He definitely was a number one fan! Then back to his Knights hat as usual after the baseball season was over.

A few years ago, his nephew, who is an officer in the Navy sent him an honorary Admiral's hat, complete with the scrambled eggs on the rim. It even had his name on the back. He abandoned the other hats and wore that one all the time.

That's when the local priest nicknamed him 'Admiral'. Padre, as he was known, would affectionately refer to Henry as "Admiral...sir"! Now...Henry had a very deep affection and respect for all priests as well as all professional people, such as doctors and nurses and the military, etc. Towards the end of his journey in this life, he dealt with the usual aging difficulties and used a walker. He loved to have Padre come out to coffee with us after morning mass and would constantly invite him to join us. Then, while waiting for Padre to come out of the church, he would get out of the front seat where he was already settled and move to the back seat, which was a bit of a squeeze for him and not an easy chore. When Padre would object and tried to get him to stay up front, he would shout out orders "get in the front, Padre"…pointing to the front seat!!! Of course he did so most respectfully, as I said, he had ultimate respect for all priests and professional people most assuredly. Padre would then respond "yes sir, Admiral"!!! Then, promptly, he would climb into the front seat as ordered! Henry loved it! He was most amused! Here was a priest whom he deeply admired in a very special way, 'obeying' his orders immediately, with no objection!!! Henry was not only amused but edified as well!

The title 'Admiral' was/is more than appropriate and fits all too well for our friend, Henry. The word that comes to mind as I look back on my entire relationship with Henry is admiration. I truly admire the quality of this man's life, as was evident in his genuineness, sincerity, respect and kindness. He was a man of many distinct high qualities. I feel grateful to the family that reared him and gifted him to us. I thank God for the great gifts instilled in this beautiful man. Henry has been sort of a 'secret' gift to the town of Westborough for more than a half century, since he moved here some 50 or so years ago. He truly was and always will be a 'jewel' for this town as he quietly spent his life bringing people together and creating a 'bond' in friendships and circles that will keep growing long after his departure! I am deeply grateful to a wonderful, popular family in town that sponsored Henry's famous annual birthday parties every year for well over two decades as well as overseeing many of his personal needs along the way. It is through such commitment and giving by this family and many others that facilitate beautiful lives and produce abundant fruit such as our beloved Henry. Countless people came to be blessed to know him!

Admiral…you will be missed but never forgotten!!!

John Laurence

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