Saturday, December 22, 2018
In loving memory of Richard Joseph Abato, faithful and loving husband of Rosemary Abato, and caring father of Robert, Renny (may his soul rest in peace), and Richard Gerard Abato.
Life flows by so seamlessly like the wind through the trees with each day adding new memories to the past gone by. Richard’s passion for life could be heard through the he played. He was a graduate of Peabody Music Institute Baltimore, MD and was an accomplished musician. Richard’s love of music was passed down to the many students he taught throughout his thirty plus year career as a music teacher in the Brentwood school district, Brentwood, NY.
Richard embraced all that life had to offer. From simple family barbeques, holiday gatherings, to just being in the great outdoors. Rich had property in New York’s Catskill Mountains where he and his family would spend weeks at a time camping during his summer recess. Yes, he kept things simple using the natural resources of his land fetching the cool water for the stream that ran through his property for drinking and cooking, to picking fresh raspberries that his wife Rosemary would bake in a pie on an open fire place built out of shale from an old farm house foundation.
Rich and Rosemary purchased a sixteen foot Grumman aluminum canoe that they would strap to top of his car and traveled all over fishing or just paddling around exploring many of Long Island’s beautiful waterfronts. Richards’ oldest son Robert is an avid fisherman. Many years ago Rich and Rosemary lived in Port Jefferson, NY in a cozy cottage near the Long Island Sound. He and his Sons would frequently visit the shoreline catching live bait to use to go fishing off the canoe in the Port Jefferson Cove. The family would always enjoy the fresh catch cooked in various authentic mouthwatering recipes by Rich and Rosemary.
Rich knew that keeping it simple made life’s pleasures more enjoyable and memorable. Knowing Rich and reflecting on his past fills one’s heart with the warmth that he enjoyed life to its fullest, Rich will be sorely missed as the wind passes seamlessly through the tress.
