UNITED STATES
America

Jason Berry

Father Andrew M. Greeley’s prolific career halted in Chicago on a chilly November day in 2008. His overcoat snagged as he stepped out of a taxi, throwing him down to a fractured skull. Vibrant at 80, Greeley underwent brain surgery. He returned to his apartment high above Chicago in the John Hancock building, and in-care nursing.

For a mind so alive, the last four-and-half years of silence must have been like purgatory. He died on May 30 at age 85.

I was one in the constellation of Andy’s far-flung friends. We shared letters, emails, phone calls, some delightful meals when I visited Chicago and once at my home in New Orleans. We dedicated books to each other. After the injury, as I kept in touch with people clsoe to him, I felt a hollow sadness. I missed his optimism, wit and eye for hubris.

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