Goodbye

Goodbye, Peter,

When it was time for me to relocate and abandon my home of 57 years in Massapequa, I made a list of things I left reluctantly.

I didn’t do it alphabetically or in numerical order, but rather I listed them as they came to mind in importance.

Of course, friends, and Madonna Heights in Dix Hills were at the very top, but it wasn’t far down the rambling list before the name Congressman Peter King appeared.

Congressman King and I never had a personal relationship.

I never attended his rallies or visited his office.

I attended an FBI luncheon once where he spoke but we were not introduced.

Yet, for all the years I was a resident in his Congressional District I believed (and still do) I had a representative in Washington D.C.

He didn’t run for President or even Vice President.

Congressman King made TV appearances on occasion, but the majority of his time in the nation’s capital was spent representing the people who voted for him and who expected his time to be spent on their behalf.

I never doubted that Peter King did exactly that.

There were just two instances during the years when he helped me, an unknown voice, who called his office.

On both occasions, Congressman King came to my aid.

The first concerned a Medicare mixup that occurred during the dismal days when my husband was desperately ill.

For some unknown reason our records indicated a discrepancy that became an obstacle for further medical assistance. I was frantic and distraught while unable to overcome the red tape making our predicament seemingly insoluble.

This problem was rectified quickly and efficiently after contacting my Congressional representative, Peter King.

Shortly after my husband’s death, Congressman King provided assistance in obtaining the medals Art had earned as a U.S. MARINE during WWII. They gave solace to his children and grandchildren.

Another Congressman or woman will be elected to serve the people in Massapequa, but Peter King will long be remembered for keeping his commitment to the voters who trusted him.

May the wind be ever at your back, Congressman King.