On this beautiful and crisp autumn day, as my grandmother is in the hospital drawing closer to a sad and fateful day, and Janicia, one of our original servers at moonstones visited for lunch smuggling below her blouse her 3rd impending, bouncing bundle of joy–the circle of life could not be more omnipresent.
I am reminded of two beautiful friends who have passed in the last couple of months–Nick Rabias and Audrey McMahon. The McMahons gave me my very first job, nearly 30 years ago, freshly out of college, newly married, and living in a place I knew almost no body. As a part time manager slash bartender, I served many bottled beers while pleading with the head chef to stop smoking over the stove while cooking people’s food. He never really agreed (“Go fuck yourself”) and I had not yet earned the credibility to make a difference. Nonetheless, it was a job, when I had none, and got the ball rolling for me in my new home. I will never forget the McMahons kindness, and good humor and friendship and customer loyalty, through the next decades. Your kindness will never be forgotten.
Oddly enough, when that job came to an end, it was the McMahons who introduced me to “Uncle Nick.” Years later, when Cobblestones had a fire, it was Nick who represented us as an insurance advocate and successfully negotiated the maximum $1M insurance award, that allowed us to rebuild and remodel, a building that has now anchored downtown Lowell for more than 155 years. Nick joined us for dinner every Saturday night “on the house” for the next 10+ years, as we showed our gratitude for his great work on our behalf.
We will miss both of these terrific friends but will remain ever grateful for all they did on our behalf, and for so many others. RIP Audrey and Nick.
In closing, I had the pleasure of spending the last weekend with our closest friends, Jack and Phyllis Finn–the actual connection that originally brought us together with Audrey and Nick so many years ago. Phyllis and my wife Kathy were best friends growing up. I mention this because we were discussing how more and more these days, testimonies and “namings” (streets, fields, etc) are occurring while folks are still alive–allowing those honored to actually enjoy the appreciation and accolades. With that said, when we opened Cobblestones in 1994, Phyllis worked for us as one of our original bartenders. But, for years, she refused to take a paycheck. She worked for tips only in order to help her friends and new business get up and running. Though I do not have a street to name in her honor, I will always appreciate Phyllis’ kindness on our behalf. We love you Phyllis.
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.