It is with great sadness and honor that I announce the death of my father, Richard Lawrence Venezky, today, June 11th, 2004. My father was an amazing man who excelled in so many ways. He was a loving father, a caring husband, a loyal friend, a committed mentor, an inspiring teacher, an honored scholar, an avid collector, and a gifted gardener. He enriched our lives in so many ways and we will all miss him dearly. In the past few weeks I have thought about the pain of losing him and came to realize how fortunate I am to have had him in my life for so long. I realize that there will be many unanswered questions but that one of the gifts my father gave to me was the set of tools to learn on my own and the joy in doing so. I will always want to know exactly how I can best educate my children or how he made his garden grow but I will also take pleasure in knowing that he is proud of me as I go through this process of discovery. I will think of him every time I work in the garden, eat a vegetable, read a book, or learn a new skill. We love you Dad.

Much love,
Dina

We are requesting pictures and stories of Dad. These can be sent to me by email (or by mail) to be archived for the family, in particular, Benjamin and baby #2.

Information about the funeral below.

Benjamin points out a lemon on the tree that Dad and I planted when we first moved into our house in California. The tree has grown considerably since then.

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A funeral service will be held in Delaware on Sunday, June 13th at 2:00 pm at Temple Beth El in Newark, DE.
301 Possom Park Rd  Newark, DE 19711, (302-366-8330)

The burial will occur afterwards at the Schoenberg funeral home (302.762.0334)
519 Philadelphia Pike Wilmington, DE 19809

You can fly into the Philadelphia airport. Bereavement rates may be available for the airlines by giving the funeral home number.

A block of rooms is being reserved at the Hotel DuPont (www.dupont.com) - it's a fabulous hotel.
11th and Market Streets, Wilmington, Delaware 19801
Reservations: 1-800-441-9019 or 302-594-3100. Fax 302-594-3108
The room rate for Fri, Sat., and Sun is $169/night.
If you have any difficulties you can call the manager, Dan Krompton 302.594.3127.

There are other hotels in the area as well (Marriott Courtyard 800.321.2211 and Sheridan Suites 800.325.3535 both in Wilmington).

Mom will be sitting shiva starting Sunday at 7pm and then Monday through Thursday nights at 8pm. Sitting shiva is a time of mourning and visitors are welcome to stop by the house. My reference book on the life cycle states the following.

"One enters the house without ringing the bell or knocking; mourners are not hosts, nor are guest emissaries of good cheer. There is very little that can be said at times like this, but words are not as important as the presence of friends. It is enough that people come, in the words of the prophet Ezekiel, to 'Sigh in silence'...It is considered inappropriate to send or bring flowers to a Jewish house of mourning. A donation to a charity in the name of the deceased is considered a far more meaningful tribute. Gifts of food are, however, traditional. But rather than bring the sixth plate of brownies, it may be more helpful to call whomever is taking responsibility for food in the house..."

Our family friend, Tony, has kindly offered to help coordinate.