Joseph F. Lentine, 70

I will miss Joe. A gem of a guy and about the most knowledgeable of any tobacconist I've met. RIP.

In a world that seems each day to grow more coarse and self-centered, Joseph Lentine was an increasingly rare breed: a gentleman. He was a kind and gentle soul who genuinely enjoyed meeting and befriending people from every walk of life. He had a deep intellectual curiosity, wit, and charming manner that led so many of us to treasure time spent in his company, which always included a smile or laugh from Joe. Unfailingly well-mannered, he had a grace born of basic human decency and pride in his work.

I will continue to regularly visit the Owl Shop, but I will never look forward to it with the same anticipation now that Joe is gone. And I will miss him every time I step through that door.

My thoughts and prayers are with Bill Raffaele and the other staff at the Owl Shop,

If there is one consolation, it is that Joe's abiding Catholic faith and the way his life embodied the best of his faith have led him to a better place. I've never met a single person who had a better heart than Joe, and we are fortunate that Joe shared it with so many of us during his half century with the Owl Shop. Joe was the heart and soul of the place, and there was none finer.

Pax vobiscum, Joe.