Joe Pelaez

[oaks1912]

I received a phone call today from Joe Pelaez' sister, informing me that Joe passed away in late April. Joe was an active collector for many years, and very passionate about the hobby. While controversial at times, Joe was never afraid to speak his mind about the darker sides of the hobby, in an attempt to alert others about some of these areas. There will be a memorial service at Arlington National Cemetery in early July. Once the family has additional information, I will post it on Net54 for those interested in attending. Rest in peace, Amigo..... Mark Macrae

[slidekellyslide]

RIP Joe. I'll bet he's stirring up Net54heaven.com right now.

[calvindog]

Joe P?

[autograf]

Rip....

[Leon]

This brings a tear to my eye. For all he was or wasn't I really liked him. Even with his short term suspension from the board he and I emailed often. We ALWAYS got along well. You could always count on Joe to speak his mind. I am very, very saddened. :(

edited as I would like to send my condolences to his family. I don't know why but this one really hit me.....RIP my friend...

[Robextend]

Seems like he was just posting yesterday....RIP Joe.

[bijoem]

sad news. RIP.

[calvindog]

My condolences to his family and loved ones.

[slidekellyslide]

Joe's last post to Net 54 was on April 25th. He let the whippersnapper from Chicago have it in Joe P style.

http://www.net54baseball.com/showpost.php?p=802626&postcount=28

We're going to miss you Joe. :(

[barrysloate]

As many on the board know Joe and I simply did not get along. We were friends many years ago and then something just seemed to happen between us. That said, no disagreement is so important that it would overshadow this very sad moment. My condolences to his family and if Joe is somehow still watching over this board, there are no longer any hard feelings between us.

[Jewish-collector]

I'm so sorry to hear that. Joe was one of the first guys that I met when I started coordinating the Friday lunches before the Chantilly show. I always enjoyed seeing him in Chantilly.

Alan

[wonkaticket]

This is very sad I talked with Joe many times over the years he was quite a character and had some wonderful stories. I know he would butt heads with folks on here from time to time but on the phone he was quite a different person and fun person to chat with.

One of my most memorable talks with Joe was about the film/TV industry.

My thoughts go out to the family during this tough time.

Good Bye Joe, I will miss you.

John

Mark, please keep me posted as to the services I would like to attend if I can.

[slidekellyslide]

This is very sad I talked with Joe many times over the years he was quite a character and had some wonderful stories. I know he would butt heads with folks on here from time to time but on the phone he was quite a different person and fun person to chat with.

One of my most memorable talks with Joe was about the film/TV industry.

My thoughts go out to the family during this tough time.

Good Bye Joe, I will miss you.

John

Mark, please keep me posted as to the services I would like to attend if I can.

Joe and I used to email back and forth a bit when he was suspended from Net54...he loved to talk about his days in show business. He was always a bit gruff in here, but always very nice in emails.

[Jacklitsch]

Wow, this really is sad news. Joe was an alright guy, kind of crochety, but then at 78 or so he was entitled.

At this rate I may soon become the elder stateman on Net54.

Sorry to see you go Joe. RIP

[mzm55]

This is an utter shame; I knew Joe very well. We used to speak every few weeks on the phone for a few hours; his stories were always great and you could never get him off the phone! I feel bad, I was going to call him later this week since I'm now finished with school for the summer. The last time I talked with him he seemed like he was in really poor shape, heart pains and extreme difficulty in simply moving around.

Joe will be missed greatly.

[Jim VB]

Good bye Potomac Yank!

Joe was a little rough around the edges, but he was always entertaining. You never quite knew which way he would go on an issue, but he was never "leaning." Whichever way he went, he went all out.

He will be missed.

[Abravefan11]

I never met Joe but a little over a month ago he called me on the phone and I had the pleasure of listening to him talk for almost two hours about his life and the hobby. It was truly my pleasure.

[mark evans]

I knew Joe from the Chantilly shows. Although he had a tendency to dominate conversations and be argumentative at times, I think deep down he was a good-hearted person and he certainly loved the hobby. Like myself, I'm sure that the other Chantilly regulars will miss him.

[4815162342]

May God comfort the loved ones he left behind. 2 Corinthians 5:8

[ottosue]

Joe Pelaez passed away at the end of April.
Don Otto Ortolani
email ottosue@aol.com

[scgaynor]

I am very sorry to hear that. He and I had several great conversations over dinner after the Chantilly shows back in the late 1990's. He was a really fun guy to talk to and had a very interesting life as well as a really nice collection of cards.

Scott

[oldjudge]

I never met Joe in person (though I hoped to at this year's National), but I feel like I have just lost a relative. What a shock. I talked to him on the phone several times and emailed with him quite a bit. In all honesty, most the emails were humorous stories that Joe would send out. He was an old time dedicated collector who loved his cards and loved finsihing sets. He never mentioned what a card was worth, but was only concerned with whether he needed it or not. Maybe he was a little rough around the edges with some, but Joe, and people like him, are the real backbone of the hobby and he will be sorely missed. God bless Joe.

[Brian Weisner]

Zach summed it up quite well for me.... I was afraid something might be wrong when he disappeared from the board a few weeks ago.... Joe and I didn't always agree, but we both enjoyed talking cards and swapping "war stories". Rest in peace Brian


PS I regret not taking the time to drive up one weekend and hookup Joe's scanner.... He had some amazing cards and really wanted to share them with others, as many from the show circuit will attest. The "Ole Man" with the binder from Spanish Harlem....

[mrvster]

Sorry to hear of this. My condolences to his family...

Johnny

[cfc1909]

Joe-rest in peace buddy

Scott B, Dan M. me and Joe P had a great time at the last Chantily show. Classic old time collector-I am so glad I got to meet him

[toppcat]

Sorry to hear this-never met him but generally enjoyed his posts. RIP

[forazzurri2axz]

I will give a thought to our many emails/conversations, and with my left fist clenched in the air, I'll cast a vote for me and you together my friend

El pueblo unido jamas sera vencido!!!

[jp1216]

RIP Joe - his posts were always read and respected. His last post was one to re-read. Well done Joe.

[t213]

I first met Joe in the late 90s at one of the early Chantilly shows and he carried around a backpack in which he had his T217 and T209 near sets in binders and he showed them to me. I also used to see him at Potomac Nationals (single A) games near our homes. Great guy.
RIP
Andy

[Tcards-Please]

RIP ole friend.

Although we didn't always see eye to eye (especially when it came to politics), he was truly a wonderful guy. I plan on attending.

Here is the funeral information from: http://www.loudounfuneralchapel.com/

Name:
Joseph M. Pelaez

Date:
May 2nd, 1931 - May 3rd, 2010

Obituary:
Graveside services will be held at 10:00 on Wednesday, July 7th 2010 in Arlington National Cemetery.

Obituary Pending


Cemetery:
Arlington National Cemetery
Fort Myer, VA 22211 (map/driving directions)

[brickyardkennedy]

Agree or disagree with his posts, He was always fun to read and I am truly saddened to hear of Joe's passing. Rest well, Joe.

[teetwoohsix]

This is very sad.I had also noticed that he suddenly stopped posting,but didn't imagine it was because of this.My condolences also go out to his family.Rest In Peace Joe P.

Sincerely,Clayton

[Brian Weisner]

Hi Frank,
Thanks for the info.... I won't make the service, but will visit his grave in August when I head to Arlington to honor my uncle....
Be well Brian

[Jason Carota]

Very sad to hear the news. I never met Joe in person, but we exchanged quite a few emails in the past dealing with the T210 set, and other aspects of the hobby. The education I received is priceless.

RIP, Joe.

[iggyman]

My sincere condolences to the family.

Wow! For purely selfish reasons, this board will now always seem a bit empty without Joe.

RIP......

[rhettyeakley]

I never met the guy in person and like many he did get under my skin on occassion BUT he was truly passionate about this hobby and the hobby is worse off without him. From what he said his collection was truly outstanding and he dedicated more time than most to contibuting to the betterment of our community. He is probably dominating discussions as we speak with the ballplayers he collected for the past 70 years, RIP my friend!

Joe, you will be in my prayers!

[Orioles1954]

I always got along with Joe...I guess that's because we're both opinionated....for better or worse. RIP.

[ghostmarcelle]

I am very sorry to hear of Joe's passing. He had a great passion and sense of humor about our hobby, and will be missed.

I loved his Luque story!

[Pup6913]

Although I did not know Joe well he always seemed to have something positive to say to me even in the midst of all the crap. I am very saddened to hear of this. May you be well and my deepest condolense to your family Joe. :(

[Ladder7]

Life screams by...

Thanks for serving Joe.

http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/files/images/flag-at-half-staff.jpg

[botn]

Wow, what a bummer. I got into a few times with Joe many years ago. After one of our message board battles he picked up the telephone to speak with me. We became friends by the end of that conversation and never looked back. To know him was to love him. His presence will surely be missed.

[sb1]

As Jim stated a few pages earlier, he, Dan and I along with long time collector Ashby M. sat down with Joe for well nearly 2 hours at the last Chantilly show. And yes, Joe had his binder with T217's, T210's and T209's, and he also had his 3 key T206's with him(highlited by a magificent Doyle). None of these cards carried "value" to Joe, each had it's own story and special place in his collection.

Joe and I had emailed back and forth for nearly a decade, he even had an old email from me in his binder! Joe explained to me he had been ill and was on the mend, but getting around for a long period on his feet was quite a task. He was very concerned about being able to get to Baltimore and if so if he would have the stamina to make the walking of the aisles of such a huge venue.

Unfortunately many people will now not get to meet Joe in person and get to experience first hand his enthusiasm for collecting.

Good bye Joe, it was an honor to get to know you!

Scott

[jimthorpe]

Joe was a good guy and loved the Mono issue.

Does anyone know if he ever completed that set?

Deepest sympathy to him and his family.

Mike McKee

[FrankWakefield]

I enjoyed his posts here, agreed with most of them. I'll miss those, and his emails. He'd email whenever you guys got him stirred up, or when I was stirred...

Joe knew quite a bit about ball, and ball cards, especially the old stuff and the old ways. I liked that. His presence here was good for us, I don't doubt he was a noticeable presence in his family. I'm sure his family will miss him, as we will. I recall him mentioning his service to me, seems fitting he'll rest at Arlington.

FW

[Al C.risafulli]

Warm regards and condolences to his family.

-Al

[Kawika]

At first I didn't "get" Joe; thought he was a bit of a berserker the way he went after Barry. Gradually I got used to the obtuse nature of his posts and, being a bit obtuse myself, came to appreciate him for the way he rolled. His irascible ways were tempered with much aloha and came with the territory of being 79 years old. We should all live so long and become so curmudgeonly. I think of what those eyes saw, a Cuban boy in New York City in the Depression, the Polo Grounds in Play Ball days, the lay of hostile land as a Marine in Korea, and I say to myself, that was an all-American life, a good American has left us.
I regret that I never got to meet Joe in person but was the recipient of occasional e-mails from him. The last one, dated April 5, was pure Joe and read in part:

David, you're one of my favorites . . .
. . . Hang tough, and enjoy your cardoholic illness.
Joe

Thanks for the kind sentiments, Joe. You're going to be missed. May you rest in peace, compadre.

http://photos.imageevent.com/kawika_o_ka_pakipika/bbbofsfirstclass/miscellanybaseball/picture.php.jpeg

[barrysloate]

David- I know not everybody can like someone, and not everybody likes me, but I never understood the fierce animosity Joe had towards me. I guess I will never find out.

[19cbb]

My condolences to the family.

Rest In Peace.

[3-2-count]

Very sad indeed. My thoughts and prayers go out to Joe's family.
Rest In Peace Joe............

[nolemmings]

I'm going to miss Joe, whose posts I always enjoyed. Unlike many of you, I never got to speak with him, either in person or on the phone, and I now wish I had known he was so communicative-- I always like to chat cards. Anyway, he and I exchanged a few emails over the past couple of years, and really hit it off, mostly because he was a veteran of the war in which my father fought, and because he and I shared much of the same social and political philosophy.

I too was hoping to spend some time with him at the National. My sincere condolences and warmest regards to his family and friends.

[Wesley]

This is indeed very sad news. I have always enjoyed reading Joe's take on the hobby.

May Joe rest in peace, an my sincerest condolences to his family.

[sox1903wschamp]

His posts were certainly opinionated and could get under people's skin but you always knew where he stood and you had to admire his great passion for collecting! Rest in peace Joe!

[uffda51]

I always enjoyed Joe's contributions to the board. My condolences to his family.

[Matt]

My best to his family. Always sad to lose one from our Net54 community.

[ChiefBenderForever]

Very sad news, RIP

[Hankphenom]

Terrible news. The Chantilly show, which he was so happy to see (and promote) moving in a vintage direction, will never be the same for me. No more passionate political discussions, no more dinners with amazing stories from his fascinating life, no more baseball and hobby talk. Yes, he was opinionated, but that was just the fervor that fired up his life, and everybody around him. What a character! what a man! I will miss him greatly.
Hank Thomas

[shammus]

This is truly sad news to log into Net 54 and read first thing. Very unexpected as well. I just got done doing a BST trade with Joe just a couple weeks ago. I spoke with him on the phone too. He's always been very friendly with me over the phone and you could sense the enthusiasm he has for the hobby easily. He was always willing to take a couple hours and chat with you about the hobby too. It was certainly a pleasure to know him.

My sincerest condolences go out to his family. RIP Joe, you'll definitely be missed.

Brian

[Kenny Cole]

I always liked Joe. He will be missed. RIP Joe.

[Cat]

The man was certainly passionate about his cards. RIP. He'll be missed.

[tedzan]

I met Joe in 1984 at the Willow Grove Show. He was at my table buying 1948 Bowman FB & 1949 BB cards.
I helped him complete those two sets. But, he was more than just a collector of Sportscards. He had this
incessant curiosity to dig into the nitty-gritty of how and why certain cards or sets were tough to find. In
this respect, we became instant friends. He had read my numerous Bowman BB and FB articles in SCD and
Krause's Base Ball Cards Magazine in the early 1980's; and, he would spend what seemed like hours at my
table "Talkin' BB cards" (of all stripes).

When the Philly Show moved to Ft Washington, I saw Joe occasionally. But, we met up again at Sotheby's
(the weekend Gretzky bought the Wagner) and we had a great time in the hospitality room getting caught
up on the "good ole days".

I last saw Joe in 1999 at the Philly Show and at that time he was collecting T209's. I had a bunch of them,
Joe bought them all. I must of given him a price on these cards that he couldn't refuse. We talked for quite
a while, and then I lost contact with him. Until....

I started posting on Net54 in 2005, Joe responded to one of my T206 threads. And, we were in touch again.
At times quite at odds with each other, and other times not so. I can say this for Joe, in person or over the
phone, Joe was a mellow guy. We would have some long and very interesting conversations, that lasted for
hours.
Anyhow, he will certainly be missed....Joe had a way with words that made you think.

GOD Bless you Joe....and may GOD comfort your family.



TED Z

[calvindog]

I also corresponded with Joe by email a lot and found him to be a very decent, funny, unflappable, interesting guy. He's one of a handful I would have been very happy to meet at the National.

[Sixtofan]

I never met Joe but made several trades with him over the years. He always struck me as a good guy and passionate collector. Wish I would have met him . . . . .

[Rich Klein]

And for what you attempted to do back in the day to ferret out the crooks of the hobby as well,

I'm truly sorry we never got to meet as I'm sure we would have had a real fun chat

Rich

[canjond]

Very sad news. I spoke to Joe many times on the phone about cigarette packs and cards in general. I first met Joe when bidding against him for a Contentnea cigarette pack. We emailed back and forth for a bit, and then spoke on the phone. After Joe found out I was living in NYC, we spoke more frequently. He conveyed many stories to me from his days in the hobby and always enjoyed his conversations and emails. I'm truly saddened by this news.

[JP]

It's moments like these that really put things into perspective. As the recipient of one of Joe's last zingers, I feel honored. While we never seemed to be on the same page, his sharp wit and sense of humor will be missed by me dearly. God bless, Joe...

[ethicsprof]

a sad day, indeed.
the loss of an Net54 family member.

my deepest condolences to his family and friends,
barry

[Fred]

This is sad. He was never one to mince words. He communicated how he felt and you knew where he stood on issues. First my condolances to his family, second, my condalances to this board for losing a good contributor/member.

[ValKehl]

Joe,
I'm so glad that I got to meet you at the Chantilly Shows, and I truly enjoyed our lengthy chats. And, thanks for all the vintage bb card knowledge that you gave me.
RIP, mi amigo,
Val

[ichieh]

RIP, Joe. It's my loss that i never get the chance to know you, but you seemed like a decent guy.

[ElCabron]

This is horrible news. Joe was one of my favorite board members. I had several 2 and 3 hour phone conversations with him and like many others, received regular e-mails from him, usually unexpected and always offering encouragement or a joke, or sometimes saying "way to stick it to that asshole" when I was involved in a controversial thread.

I can see him now, flying through the air as a baby (to his mother's horror), waiting for Adolfo Luque to catch him. I loved that story so much that ever since he told it to me he signed all of his e-mails to me "Joe Pelaez y Adolfo Luque."

I always prodded him to try to get him to go to the National. It makes me sad that I'll never get to hang out with him in person.

Thanks for everything, Joe. You'll be missed.

-Ryan

[Rickyy]

Condolences to his family and friends. I always liked that he was talking about the "old days" of the hobby when people met face to face and swapped cards for fun without the $ signs...

[ichieh]

don't mean to pry, but how did Joe died? His last post was in late April, accident? I would totally understand if his family does not wish to disclose this information.

[tbob]

He was always an interesting contributor on the Net54 Board and will be missed.
RIP.

[Sam523]

Joe was a family friend for a good 50+ years. I'm only 35, so I've known him all my life. I just found out this morning and I'm totally shocked. I googled him and found this board. Not surprised he hung out here ... he really loved those older cards. I tried to get him out to California for my dad's 60th birthday party a couple of years ago but it didn't work out.

I thought I'd drop a couple of Joe stories that were kind of funny.

When I was about 12 or 13 back in 1987, we went to a big card show in Anaheim. I'm an Angels fan and at the time, the hot card was a Wally Joyner rookie. We were at an auction they were having there and he bought something ... I don't remember what, but it probably cost around $10. At that time, I was totally into the value of every card. So in the car after the show, I asked him how much whatever it was that he bought was worth. Well Joe saw me as a fairly young kid and wanted me, above all, to have fun with the hobby. So he said, "Let me ask you, Sam, what price do you put on enjoyment?" I thought he asked what price I put on a Joyner. So when I answered, "I don't know ... about six bucks" ... he was pretty shocked. We cleared up the confusion and all was well.

For college, I went to Kansas State University. At the time, the football team was very good, like top 5 in the country. When he was young, he was recruited to play football there, but they were terrible, like 0-for-the-season terrible. He went in for his recruiting trip and saw the game film of KSU getting pummeled by Oklahoma. I remember talking to him for a couple of hours about his recruiting trip. He told me, "After seeing those films, I did something that I thought was safer than playing football at Kansas State ... I joined the Marines and went and fought in Korea!"

I know a lot of you met Joe or maybe only knew him via online. He was a super-nice guy and was always just a big kid, even when he was in his 70s. It doesn't surprise me at all that he got into it online with folks in debates, but if you ever met him, you would have really liked the time he spent with you. He was a super friendly guy.

Anyways, I just heard about this today and I'm pretty sad about it. When he didn't make it out to my dad's party, I knew I probably wouldn't see him again, and I was right. :(

I figure this is probably the best place to post this about him. :( :(

[AndrewJerome]

Joe P. was a passionate collector who will be missed. His hobby stories were great. I was lucky enough to talk on the phone a few times with him -- and it was difficult to get off the phone! Truly a sad day for our hobby. R.I.P. Joe P.

Andrew

[bijoem]

thank you for that post Sam.
It is very nice to hear about Joe.


I've posted before in this thread - but again....
RIP joe.
My condolences to the family.

[barrysloate]

Thanks Sam for sharing those stories.

[Tcards-Please]

Sam,

Welcome to the board and sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing some of your stories. I will truly miss his contribution to the hobby and board discussions.

r/
Frank

[Leon]

Thanks for the warm memories you had of him, Sam. I especially like the value of enjoyment at $6 :).

On another note I need to correct an earlier statement I made. It really does personify Joe. About the time this new board s/w was put into place Joe was at odds with a few board members. Now remember, I always liked Joe, regardless of the squabbles he got into on the board. I got emails from a few regulars saying that if Joe persisted then they would leave the board. Well, I had to ask Joe to stay away from those few folks on the board. Joe, in his ever direct way, told me "sorry Leon, I just can't do it". So, Joe left voluntarily for a while. He never was suspended from the board. He left for a while on his own. Then, several months later, he came back and was mostly very civil the second time around, especially with respect to those few people I had asked him to stay away from. I just wanted to clear up the point as I know Joe would have taken me to task for it. Good ole Joe. He was cosistent. I am so very sorry I didn't get to meet him in person but at least I got to have a few (lengthy :)) phone calls with him. Bless his heart.

[ethicsprof]

sam,
very moving stories.
many thanks for sharing.
my condolences,
barry

[barrysloate]

I was of course exhibit #1 among the people Leon asked Joe to stay away from. I tried recently to smooth things out with him on the board but I didn't stand a chance. I guess once Joe set his mind on something, that was it. I have to say it did upset me that he and I had such a poor rapport. Well, as I said earlier, I have no hard feelings any more.

[rc4157]

Sorry to hear the sad news, condolences to Joe's family. It's tough to lose a contributor to this board.
RC

[sreader3]

This is sad news. My initial encounter with Joe was as a neophyte poster on this Board when he scolded me in a sort of "who the hell are you?" way for suggesting that there might be certain errors in Heitman's The Monster. Having gotten to know Joe better in several phone conversations in the last couple of years, I came to appreciate that this initial hazing was Joe's personal initiation rite to our great hobby, born out of his deep love and respect for its traditions.

As others have said, Joe's often gruff Board persona masked a certain sweetness in the man that revealed itself in more personal settings. On the phone, Joe was jovial, quick with a joke and generous with his time. One lesson I will take from Joe is to try and keep written conversations as cordial as oral ones.

I more often than not disagreed with Joe on policy questions. But now that he is gone, I already miss him--much in the same way I missed Howard Cosell on Monday Night Football after he departed. Agree with him or not, Joe was a life force to be felt, and not ignored.

Rest in peace.

[Marckus99]

Wow. I don't know what to really say...

Although I have dropped out of the hobby, due to financial issues, and have been selling off my beaters, I would still call him every couple of months.
Seems like I just spoke to him...maybe in late March. I knew his health was failing
but he never once went into details.

I sold him a few of my T210s - a set he said he was crazy to try and put together
at his advanced age. He was close to the T217 set, missing a couple or so.
He had multiples of the T209 set.

We shared a common interest in old Cuban cards and a NYC childhood.

He would always retell his story of his T206 Doyle, how he got it, KO and the master card doctor - I forget his name.

He was great, always willing to share his knowledge and time with me.

He would tell me he would always keep an eye out for a 1922 Zeenut Cueto for me.

He will be very missed indeed.

As he always would end our conversations...."quidate", in spanish sincerely meaning
to take care of yourself.

Quidate, Joe. Until we meet again.

[ebrehm]

I never met Joe P. but corresponded with him once in a while about a few different things. I am sorry to hear this news and send my condolences to his family.

[Tom Hyland]

I have been a close friend of Joe Pelaez for nearly 20 years and frequently attended the Chantilly Baseball Card Show with Joe. For nearly all that time,
Joe and I had seats together at the Prince William County Carolina League (now Potomac Nationals) games. Joe was a Yankee fan and hence his user name of "Potomac YanK.

A mutual friend of ours phoned today to let me know that there was a thread on this site dedicated to Joe. Joe and I attended the Chantilly show on Friday April 23rd and he came to my home that evening for dinner and to discuss the show and what he had bought. Joe called me on Friday April 24th to discuss an issue with the renewal of his apartment rental lease. He also sent my wife and I an email on Saturday April 25th with one of his many jokes. Apparently, Joe died on this later day.

Without getting into details, Joe has had several illnesses over the past three years (as have I) which made it very difficult for us to walk into and around stadiums or card shows. However, I understand that Joe was believed by the Loudoun County (Virginia) Rescue Squad to have died of a heart attack.

For those of you who had disagreements with Joe, please know that even Joe would, from time to time, disagree with Joe. Even we had disagreements, but as Korean War veterans our mutual experiences always overcame any temporary differences. Joe was a bonafide Korean War hero who was at Chosen Reservoir freeing in the ice and snow with a summer unform when the Chinese Communists threw everything they had at the Marines, and the Marines held strong!

Joe was my best friend for the last twenty years and I will miss him more that I can ever tell you1

If any one would like to commnicate with me about Joe, please email me at thyland3202@yahoo.com or call me at 703-0266-7640. I will be attending his memorial service in July.