Mr. Boo Radley

1993-2007

Mr. Boo passed away early Saturday morning, December 15, 2007. It was unexpected and happened very quickly. We are overcome by his absence in our lives.

Mr. Boo had a very interesting life for a cat. He was found in the backyard of my friend David’s rental house in Cape Girardeau, MO. David was also an animal lover but already had several so he gave me a call. I was in no position to adopt an animal being only 21 and still in college. David promised that I just had to come see him. Yeah, right. Boo was sleeping in a box in the bathroom and when David cracked the door open he looked up at me with his beautiful big eyes and I was hooked. Luckily, my roommate Celine was also an animal lover with a large dog living in our apartment so she was very understanding. The dog and cat were less understanding of each other.

Mr. Boo took a little while to warm up to me but we soon bonded. I think he was upset with the name I chose, which shall not be mentioned here. Mark actually re-named him Boo Radley which was fitting and much more appropriate. We were only separated for one summer in 1996 while I spent 9 weeks in an archaeology field school in KY and he spent the same time in IA with Mark and his family. Mr. Boo was spoiled that summer and that is where he got his signature round belly. It was in late summer 1996 that Mark and I got engaged and moved to New Jersey to start our life together.

Mr. Boo was special, not just because he helped me to navigate the adult world, gave me support when I needed it and always provided unconditional love as pets are so good at. He was also a superstar. He provided hours of entertainment as Mark and I concocted stories about what he did while we were out of the house. He often had affairs with top celebrities and went to the best parties. He was also a businessman, opening his House of Velvet (although he never divulged what kind of business this was exactly). His name was also perfect for inserting in songs which we did on a daily basis. In fact, I still catch myself doing it and that is the hardest thing to stop.

So – sing a song with Boo’s name in it and remember him for us.

We love you, Boo baby.