RIP Gary Papa

We were blessed to call Gary Papa a friend. Rhianwen first, and then I later, have come to think of the Papas--not to mention their dogs, their friends, their nannies and so on--to be part of an odd, altogether unique extended family.

We were devastated when Gary passed away more than a month ago. Of course we knew he was not long for this world, that this event had hung over the horizon for far too long. But as much as our minds were prepared for the worst, our spirits were not ready for the loss.

And yet his death does not feel quite real. Gary impacted us greatly. He encouraged us, challenged us, and made us think. He laughed with us, louder and more heartily than anyone we can think of. In the six or so years he has been in our lives, Gary carved quite a little home in our hearts. Though he has been torn from his niche there, our hearts still sense his presence as though a missing limb.

Gary thought of Rhianwen as his daughter, often introducing her that way. He believed in Rhi, pushed her to be bold and take chances, to not settle for things she did not want. One time he told her, “Rhi, no matter where you work, you’ll end up running the company in no time.” And as Rhianwen always says, he seemed so sincere and convinced of this, it was hard not to believe him.

Over the past several weeks, we have found this a difficult blog post to write. What can you say personally about a very public man? Anyone who every may have watched him on channel six knows that he was passionate, funny, engaging. We’ve all watched him battle cancer, fighting through pain and sickness just to deliver baseball scores. Gary’s life had been televised for all of Philadelphia to see for nearly thirty years.

What most people don’t know is that Gary wasn’t just a sports guy, but very much a renaissance man. He was the most well-read person I’ve ever met. He knew a little something about everything, and a great deal about many things. He loved acting, and the theater. He devoured music, and practically made buying albums a part of his daily routine. Seinfeld quotes flew from his mouth just as freely as Shakespearean sonnets.

But the most important part is that Gary was a kind, giving, loving friend. There are few people in the world as generous as Gary was, whether we mean with his time, support or friendship. Gary gave of himself to everyone he loved. And he loved a lot of people.

We'll always miss Gary. We have lost a dear friend.