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September 3, 2010 at 6:58 pm #622634AnonymousInactive
Hi everyone,
Lizzy, one of Lou, the Professor’s employees, sent me the following letter, and it’s touching. Apparently Lou had gotten hit very hard by the Florida real estate collapse, see for yourself:
Louis Fabiano was a good man who loved his family, friends and the people he worked with.
Let’s remember the good times, when Lou orchestrated entertaining events throughout his time at CAP. Like the time he challenged GPWA to a tug of war or the countless times he invited people in the industry to meals at his favorite restaurants. Even though the tug of war never actually took place, it is testimony to his uncanny ability to make an event special.
As his name the “Professor” indicates, he was one of the most helpful people I knew and would always be the first to offer his vast knowledge of the industry and so much more. Some even called him a walking encyclopedia.
When I first met him, I remember being so happy that Lou was my boss because he made my opinions seem important even though I was just a newbie to the industry. He liked to spoil us by taking the whole office to lunch every Friday. I remember thinking how cool it was that he treated us like friends- not just employees.
I’ll never forget the good times we had and will forever hold those memories in my heart. I’m sure everyone else will too. He loved to share his good fortunes with others and was so very generous, always wanting the people around him to have a good time. So it broke his heart when he was no longer able to do this the way he used to.
Soon though, Lou’s financial troubles became apparent and a meeting was
called. This time though, I knew it was different. He had to tell several of
his higher paid employees that he could no longer afford to keep them on
full time. This was devastating for him as a few of them had to leave the
company because they could not take a pay cut. During this time I was being
paid through a Florida run program that helps young people like myself find
careers, so I was not affected by these changes. After a couple of weeks
there were only a hand full of us left and Lou became very depressed. He
realized the direction things were going and it was scary for him. After
all, he was used to being very successful in the industry. During that
summer he was admitted into the hospital for his heart. I was very worried
for him because of his health and it was hard to see this family who I had
become so close to suffer. But it was only the beginning.When he returned back to work about a week later he seamed ok, but it was
never the same as it was before. There was always a cloud looming over us
that reminded him how bad things were becoming. In the fall of 2009, Lou had
no choice but to file the company for bankruptcy and try to start over
fresh. He lost the big office suite that he was so proud of and we moved
into a much smaller office. I was optimistic about this as I figured it
would save him enough money to keep this new business, Orlando Affiliate
Publishing, up and running. After all he had been through, I felt that Lou
deserved at least that.When the new year started, so did the end of the government program which
had been funding my internship as Lou’s employee. I was almost certain he
wouldn’t be able to keep me and my fellow intern, Shayla, but he found a way
to do it despite the difficulties he would have to face to do so. I remember
in February 2010 he even had to pawn some of his things just to be able to
pay us. It was heartbreaking. I wasn’t suppose to know he did it, but I
found out anyways. He didn’t want us to know how much he was going through
to keep everything afloat. Just a few months later, he had to let go of
Shayla which was extremely hard for him to do. To this day, the whole family
still keeps in touch with her in hopes that one day, business will pick back
up and they will be able to bring her back.Now the family learned that his Florida real estate properties, which were worth only a fraction of what he owed, were in danger of being foreclosed on due to his inability to pay the mortgages. The Florida real estate collapse had hit Lou very hard.
In the beginning of July, Lou seemed to have lost all hope for things to get
better and became very sad. He tried to hide his pain but it was literally
impossible for us not to notice. He put on some weight and began breathing
heavier than normal. I asked him what was wrong and he blamed it on
allergies but I knew it was something more. A week later, while Lou was at a
doctors appointment, someone stopped by the office to let us know the
building we rented was being foreclosed and that we had till the end of the
month to get out. This was more than Lou could bare at the time and just
days later he was in the hospital after turning purple and becoming very out
of breath. Near the end of July, Lou was released from the hospital but had
to wear an oxygen mask in order to breathe.On July 28, 2010 Lou heard the news that his best friend, Allan Leonard had
passed away. This was the final blow and Lou just couldn’t handle any more
loss. The news was such a shock and so sad for him that just a few days
later, Lou was back in the hospital fighting for his own life. He spent
nearly a month trying to get better but now he is no longer with us. For me,
this is the first time I have ever lost someone who I was close to and who
was part of my every day life. It has been more difficult than I could have
imagined and I am sure that this is nothing compared to how Marie and the
rest of the family are feeling. It is hard to see such good people so lost
without their “head of the pack.” One of the only things that makes his loss
bearable for me is knowing that he is with his good friend, The Captain and
that where he is he will never again feel the pain and suffering of this
world.Wow, I didn’t mean for this to become so long, but I just wanted to get
things out. I suppose what I’m trying to say is, this family needs our help
to make it through these hardest of times. Please, if you can help by
donating it would be greatly appreciated. Every penny counts so don’t worry
if you can only spare a small amount. Thank you so much.Guys, many of you have met Marie and Lou’s kids and mother in law at conferences. They are now in trouble, and he is not there to take care of things.
If you can, please click below to help:
September 5, 2010 at 7:58 am #812017AnonymousInactiveThe banner arent working…
Ups…it works now. Sorry
September 6, 2010 at 7:48 pm #812033AnonymousInactiveVery moving…I had no idea this was happening…..Really sorry to lose Lou and this just makes it sadder
September 8, 2010 at 4:08 am #812050biggygMemberVery sad to see only 10 people have helped so far.Florida real estate has fallen at least 50-70% since 2008 ,great deals for me but I know a few Canadians who bought in 2007/2008 and lost 50% so far ,my own Brother in law is included in this.Sad thing is last week I talked to my own real estate agent and she recommended for us to put a firm offer of 50% of the asking price on a foreclosure and said the bank will likely take it .
September 14, 2010 at 8:27 pm #812170shortyHansenMemberAgreed Alex, really had no idea about most of this. Very sad to lose Lou. He paved the way for so many of us, and I am eternally grateful for that.
I just donated what I could for right now and will encourage all other affiliates I know to do so as well.
September 15, 2010 at 7:38 am #812182pennyslotsMemberTruly is a tragedy upon tragedy. I hope people will find it in themselves to help.
__________________
Marit von StedingkiGaming Business
iGaming Business Affiliate | IGB Affiliate”’In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.”
Douglas AdamsSeptember 15, 2010 at 12:40 pm #812186AnonymousInactiveLou was a true pioneer its a term which suited him well. I can remember meeting Lou and Marie for the first time in Vegas, from the get go they were very accommodating.. they even gave me a list of things to do in Vegas!
Beyond this thing we call life, I imagine that Lou is in a beautiful and happy place with the Captain, free of their worldly pains, and eternally happy.
Lou helped me, and I’m only happy to help Marie.
September 15, 2010 at 5:23 pm #812190AnonymousInactiveBy the way, you may get the code of the widget by simply clicking on copy twice.
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