With a heavy heart, Dovid Cohen

It's now after Yom Tov in Eretz Yisrael. I've had over 48 hours to digest the absolutely horrendous news from Baltimore, and to me, it's still a dream, an unreality. I keep thinking I will wake up on Wednesday morning, call Lonnie and ask him if he will bring his Lulav and Esrog to shul (it was a long-standing joke of ours).

Lonnie has been labelled as a mentsch. Lonnie was not just a mentsch - Lonnie was creme de la crème of the mentschen. Let's forget Hatzala for a moment. Whether is was an elderly neighbor, a special needs teen in shul, Lonnie was the protector and surrogate of all. Lonnie had no qualms getting out of bed at 3 AM to help someone. His limits of helping people had no borders.

The respect he showed his parents was an example of Kibbud Av Vaim par excellence. Every yom tov, he went to Philly to personally drive them to Baltimore. He walked his father to shul, gave up his favorite seat in shul, wined and dined them like a king and queen, and drove them home after Yom Tov, often times not coming home till the early hours of the morning.

His family was #1. He never went to a Hatzala call from shul without making sure Ezra had a way home. He adored his kids, and you could hear the pride in his voice when he called me to tell me he had twin boys.

Lonnie's wallet was an open source of mitzvahs. Simchas Torah didn't exist in shul without Lonnie spending some amount of money for a Kibbud - which he usually gave to someone else. Countless mosdos were benefactors to Lonnie's open heart. Lonnie is one of the reasons the new shul was able to afford a beautiful kitchen.

And then there was his community involvement. At one point, Lonnie was a member of the NWCP, then Shomrim, then, of course, one of the founding members of Hatzala. His love for the community knew no bounds, no limits. Night, day, Shabbos, Yom Tov, Yom Kippur, whenever - it was often Lonnie to the rescue. There is not a single person in Baltimore whose life Lonnie did not touch.

Come Wednesday morning, there will be no phone call to Lonnie. No discussion of the foibles of shul on Yom Tov. No discussing Fox News and politics. No hearing him wish he could move to Israel.

It is said that before the world turns topsy turvey, Hashem takes the Tzaddikim to spare them the horrors of what's to come. Lonnie is just a long list of recent tzaddikim who have departed us. Woe to us... May he be a maylitz yosher for the rest of us.

Marsha Grant:

At the end of my mother's life, she was in and out of the ER and I often had to call Hatzoloh. One icy Motzoi Shabbos, Lonnie drove my mother and me to Sinai in the Hatzoloh ambulance. On the way he sternly forbade me to call my husband to pick me up when I was ready to return home. "Your cars aren't 4-wheel drive and its not safe. You call me whenever you are ready and I'll take you home", he told me. I protested that it was likely to be some crazy hour of the night before I could return. He said it didn't matter. Whatever time it was, it was fine. I should call and he would come and get me. And that's exactly what he did. Not part of Hatzoloh's responsibilities. And that was Lonnie. Nothing was beyond the call of duty.

Avinoam Miller:

When God said that the Jews will be a light unto the nations, He was thinking of Lon Borck.  I was one of the many people who had the privilege of knowing him and being his friend.  He always said hello, always asked about my family, always.  I ate lunch with his family more times that I can count.  He was my brother and my friend.  I think everyone will agree that if more of us were like him, all the Jews would be living in Israel.

Jeremy Diamond:

Lonnie had the biggest, kindest heart. I got to know Lonnie when he and Ronit moved to their former house on Marnat Road. My late grandmother Sonia Diamond, z'l, lived next door. As the years passed, the Borck family became part of every Diamond family party or dinner next door, at my grandmother's house. They became part of our family. Lonnie always looked out for 'Bubby Diamond' and she considered him as one of her own grandsons. As Bubby Diamond got older, she would turn to Lonnie for most medical emergencies which happened quite often. Bubby trusted Lonnie's medical advice above most other people. My family was always so appreciative of Lonnie's medical help and kind heart towards Bubby Diamond and the rest of our family.

I'll miss his sense of humor, insightful business ideas, political thoughts, and his kind heart. Baruch Dayan Emes.

Israel (Elgy) Elgamil:

As I sit in my car before his funeral grasping the reality of losing Lonnie Borck  a friend of over 25 years, 
I think of the loss to his family of 5, including 2 babies and the pain they are going through.
Over the past 3 years, our neighbor Mrs. Smelkinson( over the age of 80 years old) has called Hatzala EMS many times. Lonnie (volunteer) was always there for her tending to her at all hours of the night, to make sure she was comfortable as they loaded her into the ambulance. 
Lonnie always captured people and created more friends with his charisma and his smile and his creative business ideas. 
Everyone who knew him knew that Lonnie was a selfless person who always gave his part to others and more. 
He was a man of truth and integrity, 
And I respected him for that. 
Lonnie was an innovator, a thinker and a great father. 
This tragedy is a huge loss for our community. 
You will always be remembered. 
BDE.