He was to become a concert pianist — the next Rubinstein. He practiced for hours a day, often leaving school early to fulfill his filial duty. This all came to a violent end at age 15, when his father, driving with the family in the car, fell asleep at the wheel and crashed, instantly killing my grandfather’s mother and his little sister, Gloria.

My grandfather fell into a coma. When he woke, he came to a startling conclusion: He would not become a pianist.

For the next 75 years, he barely touched the piano.