Today I came across this quote from Alexander Pushkin, your favorite poet:

“As long as there is one heart on Earth where I still live, my memory will not die”

 
How true those words are for you, dad. We think about you every day. I put on my glasses and think how I inherited your poor eyesight and how, so many times in my younger days, you’d chastise me for not wearing them at times when I should: “Put on your glasses!” you would say. Good advice.

 I was thinking about the times you would talk about your mom and how sad you looked. I couldn’t truly relate, but I imagined losing her at a tender age in such a sudden way was traumatizing. You’ll see her again. I can’t wait to meet her and see how much of her I may have inherited.

 I remember how much you loved rollercoasters. And that huuuuuge slide at Geauga Lake. You always liked to test my inner athlete and dare me to do things like go down that slide, or throw me in deep water and watch me swim back. I remember our swim races. You were an amazing swimmer. I’m not too shabby myself.

 I loved the fact that the simplest things, like reading the paper with coffee, eating a good meal, and trying new things thrilled you. After you had the stroke, I wanted you to continue that trend as much as possible. 

 Currently, we are watching our “Powerful By Faith” assembly and there is a part on Friday called “Have Faith and Do Not Doubt” based on Matthew 21: 21, 22. It has really helped me because my faith has really gotten me through these few months…I know I’ll see you again, dad. I love you and I can’t wait to play a game of soccer, feed some birds, and ride a horse with you. 

 Life is fragile on this earth now. But we are given such a beautiful Hope that the earth will become a paradise and imperfections will be gone. I’m grateful every single day that I have that Hope. I can’t wait for it. See you then, Tata! Love you ternally.

Thank you, Alex, Alex, Alex. Alex was Action and attraction, Laughable and lovable, Exciting and extraordinary, and eXotic. He was That Guy. He loved and liked people. It didn't matter to him. He loved his two beautiful children Amir and Alexandra. He would give the world to them.

He was a smart man. He loved his football and other sports. He loved to cook - steaks and chicken thighs. I met Alex around 2011 or something like that. I would see him walking down the street. He would walk fast, just like Amir. I met him through one of his downstairs neighbors, Curtis Jr.

It's been a roller coaster and a joy ride. He tickled the heck out of me. He also helped me move. Just me and him in 2015. He got along with everyone, and everyone knew Alex.
"Here comes Alex" he would say. "My name is Alex - Remember me. Alex."

We used to go out all the time. You just couldn't sit him down. He was the best. I used to drive him around all the time. He couldn't drive me around, though. Oh no. Hahaha. When he got in behind the car, it was like watch out! Oh no, I had to drive us.

He loved to go to the park! Loved animals. You name it, he loved it. I loved him. I'm going to miss him. Ugh, it's so hard.

When our daughter Alexandra was 6 months old, I took her with me to visit Venezuela to meet my family. Alex had to stay in Cleveland for work. After some time, on a spring day, my sister Nora, who lived in Maracay, heard a knock on the door. She opened it to find a light-haired, blue-eyed man asking for "Salmini and my little daughter." (I used the name Salmini then because I really loved it, even though my birth name is Aleidys).

My sister did not know what to do and called out to her husband Edgar, who was able to figure out that this young man was my husband who came to see us and visit my family too. Nora thought he was very pleasant. 

Nora called me immediately. I was in Margarita Island at the time with my other sister Madys and her husband Ramiro. Alex stayed in Maracay for a few days, spending time exploring with my sister and her husband.

He finally arrived in Margarita Island and was so happy to see us, especially our daughter. He kissed her over and over. My sister instantly liked Alex. He was kind, fun, and affectionate. He loved the beaches, the food, the people. He really liked the weather. He became very close to my mother, Felicidad. She adored him.

We went to visit the rest of my family. I saw something very touching from Alex. I watched him take $20 from his wallet and hand it to my little nephew and told him to him "save it." That always stayed with me.

My whole family loved Alex. He was a very likable, generous person. He also really tried his best to speak Spanish.

I have many good memories of Alex. When I first met him, he was dresses immaculate. So European. He was handsome. He loved outdoor sports. He was a great swimmer, great at ping pong, loved chess. He loved animals. He loved his kids. He had a hard childhood and yet he made a good life with wonderful children who loved him. He was funny and I love the way he opened a bottle of wine. 

I have a lot of great memories with dad.

We went camping at this great campsite. I remember the big rope hanging from a tree that I would swing on. We had amazing food—steaks, chicken, salads. 

I remember dad urging me to get a cell phone. I’ve never wanted one. I think they’re a nuisance, quite expensive. He bought me a beautiful smartphone because he wanted me to enjoy the cell phone experience. I won’t forget that memory. Dad was thoughtful and generous.

My first experience of watching a James Bond film was with dad, at his house. Dad loved James Bond. His favorite James Bond actors were Roger Moore and Sean Connery, the two best.  He introduced me to “The Man With the Golden Gun,” to this day that one is one of my favorites. He enjoyed good films.

He was a funny man. I remember one of his favorite sayings:  “If you don’t have what you want you gotta take what you got.”

Dad loved restaurants. It was the act of taking someone out to a restaurant for a meal, especially dinner, that he enjoyed. He was generous and he enjoyed talking and seeing people experience the food. One of his favorite meals was at the Lithuanian Club: borscht soup, tilapia, and potato pancakes. Eastern European things were his favorite: pate, tripe soup, Wiener Schnitzel, goulash, Makowiec (poppy seed rolls), Gołąbki (cabbage rolls), and danishes from Buettner’s on 185th.

After dad had the stroke, I would go and sit with him. He always insisted on me eating even when I didn’t want to. He didn’t like me not to eat when I was with him.I will always think of the many wonderful memories I have of dad. I’ll always find joy in them. He was a great father. He cared a lot about my sister and me. He cared a lot about his friends. I can’t wait until I can see him again.

I only got to meet Alexander one time before his stroke. It was a few months after I was engaged to his daughter Alexandra, and I had just moved out to Ohio. The three of us met for dinner at Dubrovnik, one of his favorite restaurants.

Alexander was pleasant and incisive, but somewhat guarded. I wasn't yet in his circle of trust, but that would come with time, though not how we expected then. A month later his stroke changed everything. I was so glad I had at least one opportunity to see him before that.

Although Alex became limited in speech and movement, he was not limited in his love and affection. He always kissed our hands and was generally very appreciative of our time and effort to visit and take him on outings (except, perhaps, when we were slow to finish his laundry, and who wouldn't be irritated by that?!).

I developed a bond with Alex during the past three years, and I think back fondly on the many dinners and beers and park walks we enjoyed. I wish I could have grown to know him better under different circumstances, but I'm grateful for the time we had. I look forward to seeing him once again in perfect health, as our God promises. I'll finally be able to get in that game of chess I was hoping for.

I have many wonderful memories of dad. As a little girl, he was always the dad who liked to pick us up, throw us in the air, and kiss us a million times (very loudly, directly in my ear). He loved family meals. My mom would cook all the fancy stuff, my dad would grill the meats and vegetables.

His lived a colorful life. He was born in Siberia, orphaned at age 5, raised by his grandmother, went to boarding school and became a skilled swimmer. A natural student, English came easy to him and at 19 he came to the United States.

He traveled extensively. On a vacation to Miami in the early 80's he met our mom, who had come to the United States herself from South America. They connected instantly and married. Soon I was born and then Amir.

Dad was a loving, fun dad. We took long car drives to hiking trails, went to amusement parks, camping trips, lakes, and lots of outdoor things. He loved going to restaurants, sitting and enjoying a meal slowly.  He loved reading the paper and discussing world events. He was a people person to the very end.

After dad had the stroke in 2017, he was limited but still very much interested in doing all kinds of things. We went on car trips, park walks, dinner dates at his favorite places (Slymans, Nates, Dubrovnik, Taza, Europa, and many more), West Side Market, ice cream, the beach, and any place we could just to hear that laugh and see that twinkle in his eye.

We will miss him every single day. We loved him so much and knew how much he loved Amir and me and really grew to love Dan.

And of course, I can not forget to mention all his friends who meant so much to him- Stacy, Ritchie, Larry, and others. 

We can not wait to see you again dad. At Job 14:15 Jehovah God promises that He will call and you will answer. I can't wait to hear your laugh again, dad.