The death of a truly good friend Aurora Temple made me pause and think of all the things I remembered about her.

First of all she was tiny in stature, but never let that interfere with her feisty energy and her will to get things done. When she had a project in mind, especially if it came to funds for the Civilian Patrol, nothing could stop her determination. The late Senator Michael J. Tully used to say, with a twinkle in his eye, "When Aurora comes to you for something, you might just as well give up and give it to her or she will hound you until you do."

And that's exactly how she started the Civilian Patrol. She hounded, begged and cajoled, from her basement headquarters, until she received the funding she needed and as a result of her tenacity the patrol is alive and well and still the "eyes and ears" of the New Hyde Park community.

Not only did she start and organize the Civilian Patrol she also ran a Girl Scout Troop and raised her children, alone, after her husband passed away, working tirelessly as a social worker for Catholic Charities and was a volunteer at the Vincent Viscardi Center in Albertson.

There was never a job that Aurora couldn't tackle and conquer. She was the most amazing woman.

The saddest memory I have, because she was always smiling, is that she left New Hyde Park so suddenly that so many of us were never able to say good-bye and to actually tell her how very much we valued her friendship.

Hopefully, in some small way she knew that because there was never a time that she would call and ask me to cover an event that I wasn't there front and center with my camera.

I am very sure that before long she will be organizing a "heavenly" civilian patrol with the aid of St. Peter and more than likely she will enlist the help of Mike Tully. mdw