DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’m a 32-year-old electrical engineer. My high school physics teacher passed away recently and, as you may imagine, he played a massive role in my pursuing a career in engineering. I never met his wife or kids, and I live overseas, which meant I couldn’t attend the funeral and meet them there. I would like to send them a handwritten letter, but I’m not sure what to say. I believe it’s partly thanks to him that I’m very successful in my field and I have an overall happy life, but I don’t want to gloat. Should I just tell them he inspired me and that he will be missed, or shou…
