Hal Gorman died Sept. 18, in Farmington, Conn., just as the autumn sun began its descent toward the end of day. If he could have looked out the window at that moment, he would have wanted all to recognize that even amid profound loss, beauty seeps in.

Harold Vincent Gorman Jr. was born Dec. 9, 1943, in New York city. He led a big life and his family has many memories: afternoons spent cooking as the smell of his special pasta sauce filled the kitchen and hearts; at the helm of his sailboat, The Captain, shouting orders at his feeble family crew; standing with his wife Donna Cianciolo Gorman at the edge of a river, flyfishing in tandem, casting lines echoing one another in the air, gracefully entwined in spirit and in life.

They met when they were 16, and he always swore he fell in love with her the very moment he walked into their shared Milford High School classroom. He never wavered from that recollection.

To spend as much time as possible with Hal, Donna sought to learn to do everything he liked to do. She learned to hunt, flyfish, run competitively, embrace Michael Bolton, dance to Rick Springfield’s Jessie’s Girl, and travel to the farthest reaches of the Canadian border in search of the elusive salmon.

Professionally, he made many contributions as a lawyer in the liquor industry, too long to list, including as general counsel for Heublein, Paddington, Allied Domecq, Malibu-Kahlua, and William Grant, just to name a few. But those successes were always secondary to him; he most valued his lifetime role as trusted advisor, whether it was speaking to an international CEO, to a young attorney looking to find his way or to a friend in a rough patch. All knew they were receiving the very best advice.

Since his death the family has received an outpouring of notes and letters, sharing stories of how he had helped so many in so many significant ways. His friends knew him as a man who believed that a bond was a bond, and a fight in the name of something good and right was one you never back down from. He died on Rosh Hashana — a sign of great righteousness in the Jewish Faith. The Great Gormando leaves us in a better place because of his life’s work.

He was predeceased by his parents Jessie and Harold; his brothers Jeffrey and Michael; uncles Larry, Hubie, Charlie, Jack, an aunt, Barbara, and two best friends Irwin and Gerry. He is survived by his children, Meaghan, Ryan and Jaime.

Donations can be made to the Connecticut River Salmon Association at CTRIVERSALMON.ORG, or to JoeBiden.com.