Robert Goldfinger was my uncle, my mother’s younger brother.
I think I only met Uncle Bobby once, when I was four or five years old, an uneventful visit that was short. I don’t think he even came inside. He was estranged from the family.
For that reason my stories of Robert are second-hand, and fantastical, perhaps mythological. He was a mathematical whiz who was an actuary, but also a card-counter banned from casinos. He was violent. My other uncle, his younger brother, despised him. Years after he told me that as a child, Robert beat him daily. My mother said very little about him, I only recall one short vignette of him as a pyromaniac who would throw lit matches off the fire escape.
My father saw Robert years after Mom did. He said Robert came to see him after Dad and Mom had divorced to ask for advice. He had gotten in trouble in some unspecified way for possession of a gun, but I don't recall Dad elaborating. The stories seem to line up that Uncle Bobby was very intelligent but also very troubled. I only wish I had a more informed sense in what proportion.
When Robert died, I saw a copy of the will, which specifically barred any inheritance by his relatives. As I recall it, it was given to Dad by Robert's friend, whose name I forget, who tried to sell us his apartment. A year or so ago, I found out through this website that Uncle Bobby was buried here, and I was saddened that his friend chose not to take care of any kind of burial or cremation. I can only hope that this is in fact what Uncle Bobby wanted. Rest in peace.
