the good die young

Rafa has gone to that great garden in the sky.  He died yesterday afternoon at home where he had been moved some days ago.  His partner Dorothy had put the hospital bed in the living room so he could "see" his garden.  The ever-playful, ever-faithful Wilson slept by his bed.  Here is Rafa with Wilson at our house last year.

Rafa will be sorely missed by all who knew him.  Exuberant is a good description.   His vitality and enthusiasm for everything he did was infectious.  There was no problem or puzzle he couldn't work his way through, explaining as he went along in a colorful mix of English and Spanish.  Gone but never forgotten.  Rafa was 55.