I saw in today's Staten Island Advance that Alex Coladonato was married in November. I would like to extend his new wife and him my utmost congratulations.
My father, my brother, and I knew Alex, otherwise known as "Pooh Bear," and his brother, Anthony, from our summers spent working at Staten Island Academy Day Camp. The last time I heard "Pooh Bear" mentioned was nearly four summers ago, when my brother told us that he was a contestant on "Big Brother" that season.
Ironically, that same summer, nearly four years ago, was the last time I heard from my brother, too. Seeing Alex's wedding announcement in today's paper was just one more reminder of how the rest of the world continues to move on while a part of my family's has died--probably the same thing that Alex felt after losing his father, an employee at Cantor Fitzgerald, on September 11, 2001.
I'm sure that, on his wedding day, "Pooh Bear" was missing his father and wishing that he could be there to celebrate with him, as I've missed my brother so many times since the summer of 2009.
