The Finish Line

I went to the funeral of Seth Kushner today. He was a friend, a city dad, and a photographer, writer, and budding illustrator, who made several notable contributions to New York Family over the years: A cover photo in Coney Island with model and reality star Kelly Killoren Bensimon; a photography slideshow of the famously festooned homes in Dyker Heights at Christmas time; and most recently, about a year ago, a big series of sketches of  super heroes and comic book characters that he’d drawn for his then-4-year-old son while he (Seth) was in the hospital being treated for his blood cancer and couldn’t see his son in person.

Seth had the worst possible year; I hope it gave him some comfort that his words and drawings, which he often posted on Facebook, were an inspiration to many. He was a kind and interesting person, a rare blend of a committed artist and a real mensch. I hope you’ll take a second to learn about him and his career, which spans everything from a wonderful photo-essay book of our native people called “The Brooklynites,” to a newly published graphic novel about his life as a young single man memorably entitled “Shmuck.”

Here, too, is a link to make a contribution to his wife and child. Hearing from all of the people who spoke today and evidently supported him, often side-by-side, through this ghastly year, it reaffirmed my belief that nice guys finish first, even when the finish line comes too soon.

Eric Messinger is the editor of  New York Family. He can be reached at emessinger@manhattanmedia.com.