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Paul Friedman: A Problem-Solver

 

Paul Friedman, a shy, kind man with a surging mind, was always a problem-solver. Of the five Friedman siblings, he was the listener, the untangler of life's knots. He would pose a zillion questions, leading his siblings toward their own solutions. Professionally, he played a similar role. With degrees in psychology, engineering and business, he became a management consultant for Emergence Consulting in Lincoln, Mass.

You could not not like him, the man who at snoozy business meetings kept his end of the table in convulsive snickers. The friend who shlepped rugelach cross-country for a pal, the human jungle gym for nieces and nephews, the husband who showered his wife, Audrey Ades, with gifts. He collected snow globes (only the tackiest!), saved his report cards (including those from Hebrew school), and gazed at the natural world, entranced, camera in hand.

At 45, he tackled his most delightful problem. In May, he and Audrey adopted a Korean infant, Richard Harry Hyun-Soo Friedman (nom de nursery: Rocky).

Mr. Friedman delivered rib-tickling disquisitions on the challenge of the dirty diaper. He spent Sept. 10 with Rocky. "Did you take him to a playground?" a sister asked. "No," replied the cerebral new papa. "I took him to Starbucks."

The next morning, Mr. Friedman boarded American Airlines Flight 11.

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From "Profiles in Grief" of The New York Times