LETTERS: JOHN BOARDMAN WILL BE LONG REMEMBERED

To the editor:

Tuesday evening I watched from afar as the Port Cape crowd entered, then visited, and the word of Monday's death of John Boardman crossed the room. For the newer transplants to the county, John was one of the more prominent men and promoters to the Downtown Neighborhood Association and the Downtown Merchants Association of this generation. He and his lovely wife, Evelyn, were noted for purchasing older homes or businesses in Cape and renovating them to current code.

One of our merchants shared that the best memories of John were one on one, those times when he had your undivided attention or was working on a downtown project and was so extremely passionate. I have to agree.

As individuals or members of the community or of John's organizations, please offer solace or other random acts of kindness to Evelyn. These are the very items which make us human or even, perhaps, more fragile. May God bless you, dear Evelyn.

God says he will not give us more than we can bear, but I am sure right now the words are meaningless. Let it be said in old Latin: Semper et unquam, which means ever and always.

Let me assure you, John's work here in Cape will become as well-documented as Louis Lorimier, Joseph Lansman or Nicholas Gonner.

John is near to us. All we have to do is close our eyes, recall the last time we saw him and laugh aloud at a remark he made or his passion at a historical society meeting. John Boardman is not gone. It is merely his turn to watch over us.

DIANA STEELE

Cape Girardeau