January 30, 2024

Hello my Dear Friends…

It’s with a sad heart that I lead off todays missive with the loss of a very old friend, and dear friend of the “Secession Nation” around the world; the passing of Mr Andrew “Andy” LaVallee of Boston Massachusetts. Andy and his marvelous wife Barbara moved to FL a few years ago to battle the onset of Parkinson’s in Andrews life, and after a brave and bold fight, our dear friend passed last Tuesday. Andy had two lives, the raucous one before his reconversion to faith, one filled with “golf, business, family and God, yes, in that order”, as Andy wrote in his book, From the Hub to the Heart: My Journey, co authored with Leticia Velasquez. Andy’s second life was one filled with service to family, friends and the Catholic Church. Andy I talked at length about faith through the years, and specifically, fasting and prayer. This soon became the center of his life….

Mr Andy LaVallee, he meant the world to us!

Here is a quick clip from Andrew’s book, a segment on “Fasting” that I have always loved…..

“Fasting taught me great discipline with other areas of my life. When I fast, I feel an incredible freedom. When I have the courage to surrender and place all my concerns in God’s hands, for Him to deal with my intentions, I have an overwhelming sense of elation and joy. It is like a strong adrenaline rush in which fasting is no longer an obligation for me, but fills me with a God-centered love, a love of knowing that I participate in a practice that Jesus himself did, his Mother did, and the Apostles and saints did. I now have a feeling of anticipation that I cannot wait for the next fast day.”

Andy became deeply committed from the very minute the Twin Towers fell on 9-11-01 to setting up a college fund through Secession. After it was confirmed that Jeff LeVeen and Steven Roach were killed that tragic day, both Secession Members (we all thought that number was going to be much higher, as our Club had over 250 Members in the Metropolitan NY area, many of which worked in the Towers!), Andy went to work immediately to create a Scholarship Program. The end result was the LeVeen/Roach 9/11 Fund, that continues today, a fund that has handed out scholarships of over $3M to underprivileged students from the Beaufort, SC area!

Thank you Andy for your love, your fellowship, friendship, your commitment to faith, your deep love for this Club and your ongoing gift of the LeVeen/Roach Fund; a gift of love that will continue

forever! God bless you old friend, your eternal reward is at hand.