Rosy Glow – Cousin Louis

By

Andrew DeMarco

This August 18^th it will be two years that we lost our cousin Louis. To many of us Louis was more than a cousin, being one of the oldest he was more like a big brother. I know growing up across the street from him on Ellis Ave, and with us always around one another he was indeed that big brother I never had. In fact Cousin Marc, upon learning of Louis’ death remarked, “He was larger than life to all of us.”  Louis’ life can be a source of many Rosy Glow stories, but at this time there is one in particular that needs telling.

It was earlier in that year that my wife and I were planning a party to celebrate our marriage. We had quietly gotten married a few years earlier and never really had a reception so we thought we would have a small one with some family and friends, besides celebrating our marriage it would be a good way to get everybody together. Naturally Louis and his wife Pam were invited, after all what would a celebration be without my “big brother.”   A few weeks after the invitations went out we received a call from Louis, telling us they would be unable to come, which at first I thought was a joke.

Louis, then explained that the family would be in Nepal. You see Louis and Pam’s daughter Eva works in Nepal and they had arranged along with their son Taj for a family trip to see her. The four of them are rarely together and it happened that their schedules worked out, but unfortunately it was the same time our party was planned. I have to admit I was at first upset, but I knew deep down if he could be there with me and my wife he would, and I realized that this opportunity to be together with his family was much more important.

However at that time we did not know that our loss would become Nepal’s gain. While traveling in Nepal in June of that year, Louis was deeply moved by the images he saw of children getting to school by crossing rivers on long ropes. It was during that visit that he read about a tragic accident in the Dhading region in which five people—three adults and two children—died while attempting to navigate a cable crossing approximately 50 feet above the Trishuli River. The ropes snapped and all five plunged to their deaths in the water below. The children who lost their lives were simply trying to get to school, and the makeshift cable crossing was the only way they could make the treacherous trip.

Inspired, Louis came home with the goal of sharing their story and finding a way to make their trip to school safer. Sadly, Louis passed away just two months later and before he was able to realize his dream of building a bridge across those fast moving waters. But the story does not end there.

His family and friends all came together and started raising money for his cause.  And raise money they did. On September 26^th Pam, Taj, Lianna, Louis’ sister Barbara and her husband Don will be going to Nepal and along with Eva will be there for the dedication on not one but two bridges.

I look back at it now and I am sorry I did not get to see him that one last time and he did not get to see me dance with my bride. But more importantly he got to spend time with his daughter along with his beautiful wife and son. So what some would think is a sad anniversary, I prefer to look at it differently. Yes Louis will be gone two years but is he really?  I think of my “big brother” from time to time and the memories always provide me with a sense of warmth and happiness.  I am sure the people and children of that village in Nepal will not think that Louis is gone either but he will always be with them whenever they cross those rivers. I hope that one day I will have the opportunity to visit Nepal and see both bridges. I also know that if I never get there whenever I hear of Nepal, I will think of that “larger than life big brother” and those bridges and it will give me that feeling that Cousin Bob would call that……Rosy Glow.