Jay Epstein’s final photograph

HARRIS, NY — Although Jay Epstein was known mainly as a lawyer, he was also an enthusiastic amateur photographer who had many photographs published in The River Reporter and elsewhere. According to his son, Russell, this is the last picture Epstein snapped before collapsing of a heart attack.

Epstein had stopped on Route 17 near exit 103, where sheriff’s deputies had stopped traffic to allow a helicopter to land. A sport utility vehicle had slid off the road and rolled over. Epstein grabbed his camera and took the shot.

Russell wrote, “It is comforting to know that he knew several of the people working at the scene, so when he collapsed and they ran over to help, he was among friends. Basically, he died doing what he loved, taking pictures. Dad truly enjoyed seeing his photos appear in (the) papers, and he would proudly tell us about it every time one got published. Thank you very much for making him feel like a fellow ‘professional.’ That meant a lot to him. My siblings and I will miss him a lot, but fortunately he left behind an incredible photographic archive of our family to help preserve our memory of him.”