My uncle died yesterday.

I find myself thinking of how he lived. Almost no one in my large extended family could match my affinity for urban living and my thirst for travel. Uncle Dom did. He got around. I love that.

Uncle Dom knew where to eat, how to eat, what to eat. He loved fine dining but also knew his way around a stove. He was always so proud to say, “This is my niece.” He worked in lower Manhattan until his recent retirement. I ran into him down there one day and he whisked me off to lunch. He knew just the place, loved its ambience and its story.

That memory, among so many others, captures Uncle Dom for me.

God rest his soul.