Dick Lapidus Dies at 79

It is with great sadness that I am reporting the death of Dick Lapidus, an attorney by profession and an adventurer and good friend by nature.

I remember being his crew while we were with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary aboard his vessel, CORMORANT. It was my favorite vessel to crew for, as Dick was a great boater, smart guy and took good care of his crew. It was Dick that suggested I sign up to obtain my coxswain's certification with the Auxiliary. I did, but shortly thereafter, I found out I was pregnant with my first daughter. So, coxswain's certification was not in the cards for me, but I continued to crew on Dick's boat until the doctor said "no more boats for a while."

Dick's death appears to have been a tragic accident. At 79, Dick was still working out and practicing law part time. In is reported in the Miami Herald that Dick fell while getting out of the University of Miami Wellness Center pool, hitting his head and dying the next day. This is particularly more tragic as Dick had just battled (and won against) non-Hodgkins lymphoma. My heart goes out to Dick's wife, Wendy, and his family.

I have the obituary notice and a very nice article about Dick from the Miami Herald. If you are interested in receiving a copy of either, please feel free to contact me at miamipandi@comcast.net or mov@chaloslaw.com.

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