Memories of Josh, still so fresh...

I know Josh through my wife Rosanne, who is his cousin. Even though we live far down under (in Australia), I had the privilege to meet Josh a couple of times in the last few years. Each visit, I have had strong impression of Josh as someone who enjoyed his life and helped others enjoy their lives.

I first met Josh when we were visiting Pat and Pete in New Hampshire. Josh drove down to meet us. I still vividly remember that in the morning, after breakfast, he asked me if I wanted to go for a run with him. He took me to a nearby beach and we had a nice long run. What happened next is something that I will never forget. At the end of the run, Josh took off his T-shirt and runners and took a plunge in the ice cold ocean water. I didn’t want to look like a wimp so I followed him in the water. After a bit of splashing around, we spent the next 20 minutes sitting on the rocks in the sun as we tried to dry ourselves. On the way home, Josh ensured that we stopped by the bottle shop to buy the right brand of beer for drinks that night.

My second meeting with Josh was when I was in New York on a business trip. After I sent a note that I was going to be in town, he made it a point to come and see me. I remember we had a lovely dinner (which he insisted on paying) and watched a show that evening with Pam and Pat.

I don’t know if it’s his personality, or the things he said or did, but the memories of Josh are still fresh in my mind and I don’t think they will ever fade away.

Santosh Kulkarni

Melbourne, Australia