Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
The rest of the house had long since gone to bed, but Thomas W. Boyde Jr. was still working.
Smoke curled from a spent cigarette in the ashtray. A row of graphite pencils lay ready to use. He kept them sharpened to a lethal point not more than five feet of drawing before restoring the point with a heavy desktop sharpener not just because it was his personal preference, but because the job required precision.
Boyde was an architect but also an engineer at heart, and that meant resolving problems with certainty. What candlepower was needed at the level of a school desk for a student to be able to see her work? What nailing patterns were needed for different building materials? What mix of grass seed would best serve in the front or back lawn?
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They’ve been best friends for over 60 years: Cathie Donner, Lynda Lochner and Sue Simpatico. All 1969 graduates of Nazareth Academy in Rochester, the three haven’t let the demands of career and family stand in the way of making time for one another. That goes for a tradition started years ago of getting together on the day of their scheduled mammograms at Elizabeth Wende Breast Care.
Donner said they go out for coffee that day and it’s a good excuse to catch up while they stay on track with their annual breast exams.
It all changed in 2014, when Simpatico was diagnosed with lymphoma and breast cancer. Early diagnosis led to further tests, decisions about options and then treatment that included stem cell replacement, chemotherapy and a mastectomy an ordeal no one ever wants to go through.