I miss watching the spectacular fireworks display at Eddie Gabor’s house every Fourth of July.

Eddie was my grandmother’s companion the last 20 years of her life until she died in 1988.

Widowed in her late 40s, she struggled for years to pay the bills and raise her six children.

After she successfully completed that difficult task, Providence intervened.

Always a regular churchgoer, my grandmother had caught the eye of Eddie, a colorful old bachelor — so unassuming you’d never know he was a millionaire.

Though Eddie’s brother married and raised a family, Eddie was never blessed that way. Many years went by and Eddie was still alone — until he met my grandmother.

The two hit it off immediately. They were soon inseparable.

They went to Mass every day. Eddie took her to Pittsburgh’s finest restaurants every night. He became a fixture at family events.

And for many years, he hosted a magnificent Fourth of July........

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