Remembering my nephew, Oliver

  |  
Sep 9, 2024

My sister’s son (Oliver Freiberg) died unexpectedly last week at the age of 28, and my thoughts are filled with how important it is to cherish life, and the great friendships it brings us.

Oliver and I enjoyed engaging in the art of conversation, and used the phone as a phone, preferring speaking over typing. 

Below is my Eulogy for this wonderful young man, who fills my thoughts daily:

Oliver Freiberg was not only my nephew – he was my friend. We shared the same sense of humor, which was evident long before he was ten years old. One day I called the family land line and Oliver answered the phone, so I said: “Hi, Julian (his younger brother), how are you today?”  Oliver replied without missing a beat: “I’m doing well Uncle Mark, who would you like to speak with?”

When I relentlessly commented that I had a crush on Miss Goodman, one of his brother’s elementary school teachers, Oliver found creative ways of responding, including writing fake post-it notes from her and even putting her photo on my plate at the Seder table.

Oliver and I shared a love for sports — especially basketball — so I was thrilled to arrange a photographer’s press pass for him when Duke played Boston College on February 11, 2012. We took the train to Boston and when we reached Providence, Oliver and I hatched a simple plan: He called Cathy (his mother) and told her I was very drunk and upsetting our fellow passengers.

Of course, Cathy believed him and called me immediately. 

Acting drunk (I’ve had practice), I explained to Cathy that I was yelling at all the uninvited people in our hotel room, because they needed to leave so we could get ready for the game.  After some histrionics, Oliver assured her it was a joke, and we laughed the rest of the trip to Boston. 

When we got to our hotel, Oliver figured out how to take the “T” to Boston College, where he and I covered the game for the Huffington Post (article below). Oliver sat directly on the court, under the basket on the baseline. I supplied him with a motor-driven Nikon and suggested he take around 200 photos.  Oliver took more than 2,000 shots and one of them is featured in the article, along with a proper photo credit.  From Chapel to Chestnut Hill

Oliver also got to meet Bob Ryan from the Boston Globe as well as the Duke players and Coach K in the locker room after the game, and I was unbelievably happy that I could help provide this experience for him. We left the arena, jumped in a taxi and went directly to Mooo, a great Steakhouse that capped off a perfect day.

I will always remember that weekend with Oliver, along with many other great times we shared. Two weeks ago, Oliver and I had dinner at a midtown steakhouse and enjoyed three hours of great conversation and more laughs than I could count.

Oliver and I did not speak frequently, but he always initiated our phone calls, and they were always perfectly timed and incredibly kind. 

Oliver, my thoughts and love are with you now and forever. 

~ Rob Taub August 27, 2024