Lou Goldhammer

"A light in the darkness extinguished"

A gorgeous man who was loved by all who knew him. Still deeply missed even though it has been 23 years since he passed away. A survivor of the Holocaust, he embraced life and treasured every moment .

A caring and loving man who was focused on his family and friends. He was generous in so many ways, not only in the conventional sense, but with his time and his love. He had a sparkle and such a beautiful spirit.

Being my grandfather and having passed so many years ago, the memories I have of him are limited. That being said, every single one is beautiful and that is a measure of how special he was. He used to take my brother and I fishing, we used to go to the park and to the beach, he used to take us everywhere with him and make each time a fun adventure.

I vividly remember that Papa used to catch the bus from Queensland to Victoria and he would stay with us. I can remember the excitement and anticipation of a visit, and then how great it was to have him there. He used to sit at the kitchen table with my mum, they would chat and I loved the way that my mum called him Dad, even though he was her father-in-law. He would go with us to pick my brother up from school, and I can still see him playing with my brother's friends in the yard. Not in an embrarassing way, but in a super cool way.

Even though the years pass, I think about him all the time and sometimes I feel like crying, I miss him so much. You know that feeling of just wanting to see someone one more time, physically craving their presence? Sometimes I get goosebumps and I think it is him, that he is visiting me for a moment.

I know he watches over us, and smiles upon us.

Never far from our minds and hearts.