I learned a lot of things from my father.  He taught me to love the outdoors. He taught me to put a minnow on a hook, and how to fillet the fish that would follow.  He taught me how to grow a vegetable garden.  He taught me how to manage my money, and he was never stingy with advice on that subject!  He taught me to be kind, compassionate and caring.

He was a generous man, both in his giving to church and charity, and in the care and kindness he showed to his friends.  I have an early memory (around age 4 or 5) of being awakened in the middle of the night and bundled into the car because something had happened to an elderly acquaintance and so the only thing to do was to get up and go and help.  Such acts of kindness are never required but for him there was no question that it was simply the only right thing to do.

He was a great storyteller.  Whether recounting tales of his early life in Stanley, or his service during World War II, his stories were witty and dramatic, and I rarely tired of listening, no matter how many times I heard them.

But for Dad, the most important thing was always family. He raised three children to adulthood, and then immediately started again with me at the age of 52.  I can't imagine doing that, but he did, and he did it joyfully, and he was a good father.

As the years went by he accumulated grandchildren and great-grandchildren and he loved them all dearly.  In the year 2000 we gathered in London to celebrate his 80th birthday.  The celebrations were planned in secret, and I will always remember the look of surprise and joy on his face when we told him that ALL of his descendants would be there.  "Everyone?" he asked.  Yes, everyone.  There was nothing else that could have made him happier. 

Dad took great pride in all of his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, and he loved us all very much.  In his later years, his greatest treasure was a wall of photos of each of his young grandchildren and great grandchildren, and the most important presents for him at every Christmas were new photos to update his wall.

We were important to him, and he was important to us.  Dad, thanks for everything.  We'll miss you.

---Peter