The Music Of "Polish Eddie"

We used to call him "Polish Eddie". His real name was Edward Symonywicz. He was a proud United States Marine veteran of World War II who lived a full life and died a few weeks ago. I never met a man more willing to help other people than Eddie. He did not fit the typical stereotype of the "tough -talking Marine" No, Eddie was gentle and soft-spoken and one who would look sternly at you if you used a bad word.
I first met Eddie two and a half years ago at the University Commons Nursing Home on Plantation Street. I would go there on Saturday mornings to volunteer and help my friend (Ed Lennon)who runs "The Pub", a lounge for patients of the nursing home. The patients would look forward to coming down on Saturday mornings for conversation and to sing and have coffee and doughnuts. When Eddie Symonowicz saw what went on there, and how the patients were having difficulty seeing the words on the music, he decided to do something about it. He decided that he would become the guy who would provide the music each week. He would print out the music on his computer at home in large enough print for all to see and then bring it in each Saturday morning. He also found jokes on the internet and provided those. Last week Eddie Symonowicz's son-in-law kindly brought in to the nursing home a whle stack of envelopes with loads of music left over from "Polish Eddie"'s files at home. We are very happy to get them and will treasure them as part of the legacy of our dear friend Eddie. God bless him.