Taylor Mazurek had so much compassion, kindness, caring and love for all people and animals.

Taylor also had a very special friend who lived in an old sea captain’s house on Main Street in Thomaston. His name was Mr. Gary Houtsma, a retired Rear Admiral from the Coast Guard. He was 97 years old.

Taylor would visit Mr. Houtsma at least once a week. She would take him a lobster roll, at which Mr. Houtsma would say, “Taylor, put it in the ice box.”

Taylor would give Mr. Houtsma that “look” and procee to the kitchen. When Taylor returned to the “parlor” they would set down and have their weekly chat.

Taylor had a school project to do a documentary on someone’s life and of course she chose Mr. Houtsma.

Mr. Houtsma would begin his life by telling Taylor that as a young lad he grew up very poor. He told Taylor about President Roosevelt and the Great Depression.

When he was 18 years old, he applied to West Point and a few weeks later he received a letter of nonacceptance.

He told Taylor how his father put him in the back seat of the car and drove to West Point.

When they arrived at the school, Mr. Houtsma’s father said, “Son, you wait in the car.”

“At this time, I was really shaking,” Mr. Houtsma recalled. “Oh my, what is my father going to say or do?

“What seemed like a very long time, but probably not, he returned to the car. He got in, looked in the back seat at me, and said, ‘Son, everything is going to be OK.’

“My father, at this point, drove us up to Connecticut to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where I was accepted and served 30 years.”

Mr. Houtsma reached out and took Taylor’s hand into his and they had a good cry together.

Mr. Houtsma said: “Taylor, there will be obstacles to overcome. There will be people who will try to knock you down. Taylor, you look them in the eye and you take it on the chin, just like me.”

At the end of their conversation, Mr. Houtsma said to Taylor: “If I should die before you leave my driveway, just remember I have lived a full life and you do the same.”

Taylor treasured those moments with Mr. Houtsma. Mr. Houtsma was Dutch and he told Taylor she could call him “O-pa”, the Dutch word for grandfather.

Good night, Taylor. Good night, O-pa.

Love G-mama and G-Papa.

(Taylor’s documentary resides in Oceanside High School in Rockland.)

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A genuine and caring soul: Remembering the life of Taylor Mazurek