I can’t think of any other occasion for which I would ever post photographs of Ronald Reagan or George H. W. Bush on my website, but I am making an exception here because my ex-father-in-law passed away last night in his sleep at the age of 93.
Since my own dad and I had a difficult relationship (and he died suddenly in 2001 after we stopped talking in 1998), Velitchko Velitchkov was like a surrogate father to me for the last 24 years. Even after my divorce from their son, my ex-in-laws welcomed me into their home and invited me to sit at their table for major holidays. I just spent Orthodox Easter with them in April. I was always happy to share Sunday afternoons with him while in Sofia. We often debated politics and watched soccer matches together, and he helped me immensely with my research in Bulgarian over the years. It was peaceful and fast, and I am happy that he did not suffer, but I will miss him dearly.
