Harmon McCraw

Eddie was a Facebook friend for several years. He was always kind, supportive and modest. Always sincere. He loved cooking and often shared recipes and cooking tips. I think he moved to New York City in the 1970s, and he obviously loved it. It was his refuge. He felt accepted and at home in the city. Arthritis led to mobility issues and social isolation. I wish I could have visited him in person. Eddie will be missed.

A well-liked friend, a gay man and retired pastry chef, Harmon Eddie McCraw, died December 31 at Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York, age 70.

Eddie's only surviving relative was his mother, age 107, who is in a nursing home. She could not claim Eddie's body. Sadly, Eddie was subsequently buried at New York's mass burial site on Hart Island in Long Island Sound. 

I didn't know Eddie closely, but many mutual Facebook friends and I appreciated his sweetness, humor, photography, and recipes.

One friend wrote:

Eddie was a very kind and generous man. His passion was baking (as is mine) and he generously shared some of his recipes with me. As a matter of fact, the very last time I heard from him was when he shared a recipe for a Christmas cake with me. Another time, he mailed me a recording of a beautiful Oratorio that he enjoyed and knew i would as well. Eddie was so very kind toward an elderly neighbor, and surely to many others in his life. That was is nature. A friend of mine who recently lost her father spoke of "the day of his rising", and that is how I like to think of Eddie .. not limited by the illness that kept him from enjoying his best .. but risen to fullness of life. Much love to you, Eddie!!

Another friend wrote:

I love this photo of Eddie and his beloved Suzy who died a few years ago. Eddie was such a sweet man who shared his love for nature, cooking and hunky men. He told me that Michael was one of his first Facebook friends and was glad when we got married and to finally become my friend as well. 

He loved his garden and boasted he had one of the few gardens in New York but after becoming homebound focused growing plants in his apartment and was especially proud of his Aglaonemas, Clivias and his ponytail palm, "which seems happy." He said, "I only have two large windows, so I have to work with that." 

Eddie had a kind heart. He adopted his last kitty "Greta" that he rescued when a woman who had Alzheimer's needed a new home for her cat. 

It was a pleasure knowing you Eddie. You are missed. Wish I could have made it back to New York to give you that big hug.

I invite other friends of Eddie to share their memories and appreciation.