My grandfather

My grandfather passed away on Tuesday. He was a big part of my life, and a big part of me.

Here's his obituary, which ran in today's New London paper.

Groton - Norman D. Fagin, a loving husband, father and grandfather who made friends everywhere through his passion for piano and irrepressible sense of humor, died Tuesday, Dec. 19, after a long, happy life. He was 90.

A Yankee Doodle baby, Norm was born on the Fourth of July in 1916 in The Bronx, N.Y., to Abraham and Dora (Polstein) Fagin, and grew up in a house filled with musical instruments. Norm once recalled how after dinner the children all raced to the living room to claim one of the instruments, and while he often settled for a mandolin, he usually waited until the piano was free.

Then Norm would settle in and play a repertoire that grew over the years to hundreds of songs, all "by ear'' - that is, with no sheet music or formal training, using his own complex arrangements. Norm entertained frequently at senior centers and nursing homes throughout Connecticut and Florida, and was especially popular at The Groton Senior Center and at Windham Falls in Groton, where he and his wife, Florence, lived for the past two years. Most nights after dinner, Norm would play such standards as "Tea for Two," "It Had to be You" and "Ave Maria" while residents gathered to listen.

A raconteur and master of the dialect joke - he spoke several languages - Norm also was a skilled cartoonist who saw humor in almost any situation.

Even as he lay in his hospital bed Norm could not resist trading jibes with the many wonderful doctors and nurses who cared for him in his later years.

On the day before he passed away, after a difficult moment, he summoned a nurse to his bedside and whispered, "It's all an act."

But Norm also had a serious side, which was reflected in his love and total devotion to Florence, whom he married on June 15, 1944, in New York, while he was on leave from the Army during World War II. Norm served in the Signal Corps in Hawaii.

Though Norm and Florence traveled extensively, they were never happier than at home, at each other's side.

After the war the couple lived in Ohio for five years before moving to West Haven where they lived for 49 years. Norm worked at a number of jobs - painting, sales, managing an army and navy store - before going to work for the U.S. Postal Service in New Haven, from which he retired in 1983.

The couple moved to Groton in 2001 to be closer to their son, daughter-in-law and youngest grandson.

Besides his wife, Norm is survived by his daughter, Diane Solomon, and son-in-law, Steven Solomon, of Pleasantville, N.Y. and his son, Steve Fagin, and daughter-in-law, Lisa Brownell, of Ledyard. He also is survived by his grandchildren, Jeffrey Solomon and his wife, Clara, of New York, N.Y., Michael Solomon, of New York, N.Y., and Thomas Fagin of Ledyard.

Norm was predeceased by brothers Sam, Julius and Hyman, and sisters Rose and Bella. He also leaves numerous nieces and nephews, to whom he was always their favorite "Uncle Normie," as well as countless friends.