Meredith and Gary Krupp, who are Jewish, join Catholics worldwide in grieving for Pope Francis, who made them papal knights. They are the first couple ever to be knighted together. Here, they show the zucchetto that the pope swapped with Meredith after she gifted him with a new one in November 2016. (Photo: Bill Miller)

WANTAGH, N.Y. — It would be an understatement to say Long Island businessman Gary Krupp is a “dynamo.”

At the drop of a hat, he can rattle off dates in history, the particular traditions of all major religions, and their various leaders, especially the Roman Catholic Church and its Vatican hierarchy.

One might assume he is a lifelong Catholic, but he is not. Gary and his wife, Meredith, are Jewish.

The organization they co-founded, Pave the Way Foundation, helps foster mutual understanding and peace among religions. It was this work that brought them into contact, partnerships, and friendships with the last three popes.

Tears welled in Gary’s eyes when asked for his response to Pope Francis’ death.

“Very sad,” Gary told The Tablet. “He was a very sweet, kind man.”

Gary’s voice trembled as he added, “It’s the third time it has happened to me. These people — I knew three of them.”

On the Pave the Way Foundation’s website, an artist’s rendering shows the past three popes — Pope St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis — all smiling and embracing in a brotherly group hug.

The inscription reads, “Pave the Way Foundation Misses Our Dear Friends.”

Each of these modern popes honored Gary with a papal knighthood, making him the seventh Jewish person in history to receive such an honor. Meredith, who goes by Merry, was (and still is) the first Jewish woman to be knighted when she was distinguished on Oct.1, 2018, concurrently with Gary’s third knighthood, that time by Pope Francis.

Thus, they are the first couple ever to be knighted together — Gary as Knight of the Grand Cross and Meredith as Dame of the Grand Cross, honors granted by the Order of St. Gregory the Great.

Merry recalls how, at one visit with Pope Francis in November 2016, she presented him with a new zucchetto. He happily swapped it for the one he was wearing, which he then gave to her. She said she cherishes it.

Merry described how Pope Francis always gave children front-row seats at his audiences and greeted them first, especially those in wheelchairs.

“It’s going to be a real loss for the Church,” she said. “He took his time with everybody. He wasn’t rushed. He made you feel special. It transcends religion.”