ADDIO KARL

When I arrived in Mannhiem, Nikolaus picked me up at the train station, and he told me the sad news that Karl Pichner, Petra's father, had died the day before. We were headed for a restuarant in Moerlenbach, which was the family home, and where we would have dinner together. We arrived just as Petra and her mother, her brother, her sister-in-law and their daughter Elena, and Lutz arrived.

They did not want Karl's death mentioned, as he was well known in the community, and they wanted some quiet time with just the family. Somehow, I was fortunate enough to be included, and we all tried to have a nice time.

I first met Karl two years ago, when Klaus, Petra, and Lutz hosted a catered dinner at their office to celebrate a birthday. I remember him so clearly, because Petra had apparently talked about Fran and I, and he seemed pleased to meet me. Through other family members who spoke English, he apologized, and seemed genuinely sorry that he did not speak English so that we could not talk more.

He was so sincere, and we managed to talk several times through the interpretation of one of the other people who was there. He seemed genuinely interested in me, and why I was in Sicily, and about America. I later saw him at his architect's office, located in his home, when we stopped there for some coffee.

No, I did not know Karl well. However he did leave a lasting impression on me. I remember him as a man of incredible strength and moral honor. He suffered for two years with a failing kidney, refusing to be put on a transplant list because 'other younger people might need it more'. He raised a wonderful family, and I have gotten to know both Petra and her brother Marcus. They are both children a father would be proud of, and the pride comes from the upbringing that he provided.

I join the family in mourning his loss.