Occupation: I retired six years ago from a sign manufacturing and rigging company in Brooklyn. Now I have a part-time business here in town, Gone With the Leaves, that helps people deal with the chore of disposing of leaves. We have machinery that va
Occupation: I retired six years ago from a sign manufacturing and rigging company in Brooklyn. Now I have a part-time business here in town, Gone With the Leaves, that helps people deal with the chore of disposing of leaves. We have machinery that vacuums and grinds the leaves to less than ten percent of the original amount. Customers can keep it for mulch, or we take it to be recycled.
Family: Iâve been married to Karen for 26 years. We have two children. Allison, who lives in Greenwich, is married to Khalil. Larry is married to Carmen and lives in Orlando, Fla. We have five grandchildren. Michael, Rachel, and Catalina are our Florida grandchildren. Amir and Adam are in Greenwich.
Pets: We have two Russian Blue cats, Venus and Velvet. They are two of the luckiest cats in the world that we rescued nine years ago. They fly JetBlue to Florida every winter. They have their own SkyMiles and everything.
How long have you lived in Newtown? Iâve lived here since 1985.
What do you like to do in your free time? I play tennis three times a week, and I play golf once a week. Iâm busy taking care of our two-plus acres and home â and babysitting for the two grandchildren in Greenwich. They are 4 and 2 years old, and we have them a lot. I hardly ever watch television, but I do love the real crime show 48 Hours.
Do you have a favorite sports team? The New York Mets. Letâs Go Mets! I lived in walking distance of Shea Stadium, growing up. And I like the Jets, for football.
Do you have a favorite travel destination? Growing up and working in New York, we feel like Newtown is a vacation! But I have three other favorite places we have been to: our trip to Alaska, a trip to Sicily, and last year, a very special trip to Israel, to the Holy Land. Jerusalem was gorgeous. It was amazing to be there, and to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, and to be where the roots of religion started.
What is the best thing about Newtown? We were married on Taunton Lake in 1985, so thatâs a memorable moment here. But I love the serenity of the town, and the courteousness and friendliness of the people.
What changes have you noticed since moving here? Two things come to mind: traffic and taxes. Iâm paying six times what I did when I moved here. Itâs hard for a retired person to pay those kinds of taxes.
Do you have a hero? My wife. Sheâs my soulmate and my partner in everything we do.
Do you have a personal philosophy? Always give your best. God will take care of the rest.
What makes you happiest? It doesnât take much to make me happy, but when there are no problems and things are going smoothly, thatâs when Iâm happiest.