Last week Malibu lost a great friend — Ozzie Silna.
Ozzie was the most generous individual I have ever known. He was generous with his time and generous with his financial support for causes that were important to him. He had extraordinary passion and love for the environment and Malibu. Ozzie loved his family, basketball and old movies, but most of all he loved people and talking to people. Ozzie would talk (and often sing) to anybody, anywhere, anytime, about anything.
About a month ago, Ozzie and I had dinner at Taverna Tony. The next day, an ambulance took Ozzie to Cedars and he died three weeks later. I am particularly sad because I never had a chance to say goodbye to my good friend and to tell him how much his friendship meant to me.
This past weekend, I spent some special time at the Ozzie Silna Walkway in Legacy Park. I remembered all the good times I had with this lion of Malibu. I also thought about Omar Khayyam when he wrote, “The bird of time is on the wing.”
Goodbye, my dear friend. I miss you so much.
Richard H. Carrigan