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A Cousin's Faithful Cards

Larry Beck liked his job in the mailroom at Cantor Fitzgerald, because his appointed rounds let him talk to his co-workers, philosophize about the Mets' performance the night before and, with special joy, show off pictures of his nieces, Isabel and Michaela.

Mr. Beck, 38, who grew up in Bellmore, N.Y., and lived in Manhattan, always sent the most beautiful and touching birthday, anniversary and Mother's and Father's Day cards, his aunt and uncle recalled. He was particularly thoughtful when his cousin Ilene Fallas gave birth to her son, Evan.

"Larry had bought him a blanket, and my son loved that blanket so much," Ms. Fallas, who lives in Panama, wrote in a tribute to Mr. Beck on the Internet. "That made me happy, because one of the things that was so cherished by my son was given to him by Larry, who stood for all of those things that that blanket was to my little boy: warm, lovable, comforting and dependable.

"Knowing that I won't hear Larry's voice on the phone on the day my family and I arrive home to New York to visit is just too much to bear."

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on January 27, 2002.