Richard Petrone: Missing Since February 19, 2005
August 29, 2013: Richard’s 44th Birthday
Eternity. Always was always would be. Time with no beginning and no end. And we are simply grains of sand. But for a brief flicker we come alive. We matter to some. We play a part in these dreams we call life. The length of time we are here doesn’t matter. It is but an instant. But in that instant lies all that life has for us. All the joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure. All the people we know and love. All the people we helped to create. All the things we do to make to make each day our own. All the little things we did in all the uncounted minutes of our lives. These are the things that count. These are the things that those of us who are still here remember.
Richard Petrone, August 29, 2013
Dear Richard, remembering you on your 44th birthday. I will never forget you, your glorious smile and funny demeanor. Always fun to be around and never a dull moment with that sparkling personality. I hope you are happy and at peace where you are. Some day I will be up there with you…finally getting to see you again. Love, Rosemarie
Rosemarie Bonavitacola, August 29, 2013
On this father’s day I honor you my son (from June 19, 2011)
dawn is breaking. The sky lightens to a pinkish hue. I watch this day begin but the pain in my heart just won’t go away and the hole in my heart seems to swallow me. Darkness seems to be all around. But then there is some light that draws me to it. A defiance in the face of dread. An answer to the unanswerable. A yes to the daily regimen of no. An affirmation of life where none can easily be found. It is my son’s garden…a place of rare peace and beauty, where the seeds that he planted have grown and flowered in a way that honors him beyond mere words. As I sit in that garden I am surrounded by love and beauty. I can see and feel and touch all the dedication and commitment that flowed from his soul. I can sense all the small moments and daily efforts he put into tending that garden and raising his Angel. His love was not in vain. When I sit in his garden I am swept up in the beauty that has grown there. I am as close to peace as I can be with Angela in the middle of that place. Growing as he hoped she would into a special woman and wonderful mother. And then there is little Timmy…a lighthouse in a sea of darkness if there ever was one. The joy he has brought us is indescribable. He is love and Joy and sweetness. And then in the middle of it all stands big Tim. Solid as an oak and the protector of his family. Watching them I know my son would be proud of what he left us. It is our obligation, our duty, and our responsibility to honor the efforts of those no longer here. On this father’s day I honor you my son for all that you did in the short time you were here with us.
Richard Petrone, Sunday, June 19, 2011
February 19, 2013 Marks the 8th Year of Richard’s Disappearance
Recent News
Investigators still puzzled over 8-year-old missing persons case [ Philly Burbs ]
Missing since 2005 [ South Philly Review ]
Search continues for missing mother, 34, and father, 35 [ Daily Mail ]
Eight years later, still no clue in couple’s disappearance [ Philly.com ]
FBI Still Seeks Missing Couple With Ardmore Ties, 8 Years Later [ Ardmore Patch ]
Eight Years Later, Officials Still Searching For Clues [ CBS Philly ]
And now we have to make sense
Out of the senseless
Everyday life carries us along
But someday someone has to pay
They have to answer for their acts
And I don’t mean some final judgement day
But here and now
On this earth and in this life
You left a life unfinished
You left a song unsung
Memories to be made
Stories to tell
A Grandson to raise
There were fish to catch
And balls to throw
Pucks to shoot
And girls to love
There was music to hear
And concerts too
Sunrises and sunsets to toast
And marvel at their beauty
Christmas mornings to open the gifts
You put so much thought in
All that and more is gone
Why
Somewhere there’s an answer
Somewhere there’s a reason
And a person
Who put a plan in motion
Richard Petrone, February 7, 2013
I wish I could put in this message what I feel in my heart but that’s impossible. I love you and think about you everyday. You will always have a huge place in my heart. Love, Joe
Joe Bonavitacola, February 5, 2013
How long have I been sleeping
How long have I been lying to myself
Waiting for someone else to do justice
Wanting someone else to do the dirty work
Every day I rise and fall
I try and I fail
I push and push and push
Looking for answers
Sometimes I wonder
Were you ever really here
There’s no urn with your ashes
No marker for your bones
Just a box of cd’s and ticket stubs
And every card you ever sent me
Memories of a life
Well heaven’s no closer
And the angels are older
As I stare out at the ocean in Asbury Park
Another birthday, another wasted year
Time is running out
A reckoning awaits and
Heaven and hell are just around the corner
You were in love with the night
The magic and the music
But you forgot what our old friend said
You forgot the lurker
The thief in the night
He stole your dreams when he stole your life
Someday I’ll forget about you
As soon as my heart stops breaking
As soon as forever is through
Rich Petrone, January 29, 2013