A flood of friends celebrated the life of Richard Antoun at his funeral in Binghamton.
Antoun was an active member of the community, donating his time to charity.
His work in anthropology with a focus on Middle Eastern studies made him committed to the peace movement.
Every Friday, he would meet at the Park Diner on Conklin Avenue in Binghamton for lunch with friends.
They saw him just hours before he was killed last week.
They'll always remember him as a great communicator.
"I can't imagine that he had an enemy in the world. He was a kind, gentle and good man," said Stuart Naismith of Binghamton.
"He was a person who was able to get beyond the mundane things that get in the way of people communicating," said George McAnanama of Binghamton.
"He was enlightening for me because I could always trust what he had to say," said George Haeseler of Vestal.
Friends say they'll never be able to replace him and his contributions to their Friday lunches.