Myles - by Dana Meaney-Delman

MYLES TO THE RESCUE
Almost nine years ago, we moved in next door to the Beskind family. They were, in fact, a major selling point in our decision to buy the house, but we never imagined how truly intertwined our lives would be. I am certain that Myles and Marcie may have had some reservations about the loud, fast talking New Yorkers with their entourage of animals. 

I could relay many of Myles’s wonderful and gracious acts of neighborly kindness over the past nine years, but that is not the charge today. We are here to celebrate Myles and to highlight the funny, happy times we’ve shared. Two stories I would like to share: Myles the alarm clock and Myles the cat-rescuer.

MYLES, THE ALARM CLOCK
Myles was ever-willing to help out in any situation, even if it was a major inconvenience to him. A key piece of information about Myles that’s germane to both stories: he is not a huge fan of animals and as I mentioned, the Delmans have quite the menagerie, including a 100 lb, energetic, boisterous, black Labrador retriever, who is a bit overly friendly.

On the day that Myles was to serve as the alarm clock, we had left our 10 year old daughter home asleep with the plan to call her and wake her up. However, despite multiple attempts to call and awaken her, there was no response; Keith and I had started to worry that something could have happened. In a panic, I called Myles, who was a few days post chemotherapy and home resting. When I explained the situation, Myles jumped up and ran to my house, braving the barking, slobbery overly friendly Labrador, and went to Emma’s bedroom. Of course, Emma was just fine, sleeping soundly in her bed, but was completely taken aback to awake to find “Mr. Myles” in her bedroom. Emma reminds me regularly that “Mr. Myles” is NOT her alarm clock and that this was a bad call on my part. But I am sure Myles never gave it another thought…. that’s just a typical day for Myles.

The second story builds on some of the same themes, capturing how truly selfless Myles was. I want to reiterate, Myles was not an animal fan: dogs or cats.

MYLES THE CAT RESCUER
The Delman family, a bit obsessed with animals, owns a very curious and mischievous cat named Cookie -in addition to the aforementioned dog, two bunnies, a horse, and a fish tank full of fish.

One day Cookie, an “exclusively” indoor cat, managed to get into the garage -a not infrequent occurrence as the Beskind children can readily attest to. Without realizing this, one of the children- not sure if this was a Delman or a Beskind- opened the garage door and, while entering the house, accidently let the dog out. Needless to say, the dog spotted the cat and chased him right up into the tree situated between the Beskind and Delman houses. No amount of coaxing would convince Cookie to come down. So, the next logical step became obvious - retrieve the cat from the tree (or call the fire department but I was not sure that they still provide this service).

Here’s where Myles came in. The Beskind’s own a nice, tall ladder …. which Myles brought to the tree and held for me while I ascended into the tree to retrieve my cat. Remember, Myles is not a cat fan. And, just to set the scene, I was in my pajamas and the Beskind and Delman children were all watching this unfold. The cat was not happy about being grabbed by me, and squeezed through the tree branches. Cookie expressed his displeasure, ……which landed partially on me and barely missed Myles, who was of course still faithfully holding the ladder. As I descended the ladder with the cat in tow, I awkwardly thanked Myles, ran into the house, completely embarrassed and truthfully mortified. Myles, always the perfect gentleman, never mentioned this episode again - not sure it changed his mind about cats though.

These stories represent a snapshot of just a few of the wonderful memories our families have shared. We will miss Myles, a wonderful, generous, amazingly kind man, but we look forward to sharing many, many more wonderful memories with Marcie, Adam, Josh and Ali. We consider them part of our family and fully expect that the revolving doors between our houses will always remain open, even if the animals escape once in a while. I think that is how Myles would have wanted it.

We love you.

Addendum:
After I spoke at Myles’ funeral, a story was shared with me that is yet another example of “Myles to the Rescue” and so I have included it here. These three stories depict how Myles lived his life, a true and noble man, an unsung hero.

As an avid runner, Myles often spent time jogging through the neighborhood. On one of his runs several years ago, he came upon the following scene:
A 3 year old girl seated in a wagon, was careening down a hill towards a major intersection. The mother, face bloodied from a recent fall, was chasing the escaped wagon, screaming “HELP, HELP, HELP”.

Without a second thought, Myles, selflessly ran into the busy street blocking the path of the wagon, serving as a human barrier to protect the child from harm. Safe and sound, the child was returned to the injured mother, who expressed her extreme gratitude to Myles, but never thought to ask his name.

Anonymously, Myles returned home to tend to his own leg, bloodied from the impact of the wagon. He never boasted about his good deed; that was never Myles’ style. This was just an average day in the life a Myles- go on a run, save a kid, no big deal. The scar left behind on Myles’ leg was the only evidence, a badge of honor for his heroism.

Myles was a truly amazing man who touched the lives of many, many people. I am certain there are many more stories, not yet captured, that may never be uncovered. But, these stories alone, demonstrate how he lived his life, with effortless kindness, dignity, and humor. He is a true inspiration to us all.

Rest in peace Myles, and please know that we will continue to tell these stories and keep you alive in our hearts.

Love,

Dana, Keith, Samantha and Emma