Crime Scene

I have worked on two sad news stories in the past week. There was the plane crash last Wednesday that killed the pilot Gregory Doppke and his two passengers, Richard Lomas and Andrew Young, who were flying from White Plains to play golf in North Carolina. Then there was the death Sunday of Stuart Cohen, a beloved narcotics investigator who developed a mystery illness after raiding a heroin stash house.
There are always the questions that follow these sorts of unusual tragedies. Why did the plane crash, and what exactly caused Cohen’s death? People draw conclusions, speculate, and we report it.
But I am taking a break from the “news” for at least a day because tomorrow, Wednesday, will be a day of mourning.
Thousands of fellow officers, firefighters and others are expected to attend Cohen’s funeral, which will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Riverside Memorial Chapel, 21 W. Broad St., Mount Vernon.
Then, there will be a joint wake for Doppke and Lomas, who were best friends and business partners. It will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. at Castiglione Funeral Home, 134 Hamilton Ave., in Greenwich, Conn.

I didn’t know these men, but from what I gathered from speaking with relatives and friends, they were all noble in their own way.

What stuck with me most regarding Greg Doppke was how his daughter described dancing with him at her wedding, how he chose the song “Butterfly Kisses” and cried the whole way through because he truly loved his daughter.

For Richard Lomas, it was how his brother-in-law described his last days with him. The brother-in-law was supposed to be on the fatal flight, he said. But Richard, knowing the plane would be loaded down with golf clubs, paid for him to take a more comfortable commercial flight so they could meet in North Carolina. He cried as he described how Richard would do anything for anybody, and never ask for anything in return.

For Stuart Cohen, I spoke to the mother of a boy who had taken karate classes with him. Stuart would give him hats and jackets from his jobs in law enforcement. That boy grew up to an NYC police officer, the mother said, in part because he wanted to be like Stu, who touched so many people through his spirited efforts not just as an officer, but also as a volunteer firefighter and karate teacher.

People from various walks of life, all touched by these men,  will gather Wednesday to remember them. One friend of Stuart’s told me earlier today, when I asked about the cause of death, that I should not focus on that now, not with the funeral one day away. Now should be solely about Stuart and his family and friends, he said. I agree, it should be about Stuart. And Richard and Gregory.