Worked on his Middos - by Chaya Simon (as told by Marcia)

Even more than the way he used his talents, Gedaliah was truly an example in the way to change one's rniddos. You see the person you knew as your Zaidy was very different than the person growing up in our house (and I don't just mean his gray beard). The Gedaliah I remember was always reading. He read at the table, he read in bed, he read while walking down the street. While he did have friends and would spend some time riding his bicycle, he was not a sociable person. It wasn't only that he was filling that remarkable brain with knowledge, it was also a way to avoid having conversations with people. Now that I think of it, I could say that he was a very reserved person and it was simply his natural way to use books as a screen between himself and other people. All that changed after he met and married your wonderful Bubbie. She helped him overcome that quiet reserved nature and enabled him to reach out to people, befriend them, listen to them, help them and even entertain them. While he still read avidly, he was now willing to put down his books and connect with people. He was a wonderful conversationalist who loved to share knowledge with others, both in giving and receiving information. He truly transformed himself. We all must know that the hardest thing to do is change one's middos. Even with all the love and encouragement of others (as your Bubbie gave him) a person can only change his Middos if he truly desires to do so and works against his innate nature. When you think about your Zaydie, I hope you can see how hard he worked to make himself the person he became.