Dear Dad
You are missed so much but we have so many great memories to cherish! Our sailing together throughout our lives and more recently with your grand children. We all remember the regattas, the sun, and of course, the fun. Your trips here to Canada were always eventful, whether it be buying the new hearing aids, the accidental washing of the new hearing aids & the insurance claim for the new hearing aids; rolling you in the surf at a regatta; having a few beers and of course chatting up the ladies at the dog park! You always had good stories and everyone wanted to listen even if some of them embarrassed me! That was ok though because you were my Dad!
Now that you are gone, we will forge on, as life does continue. We will think of you often, we will laugh with you and raise our glasses to you because that is what you would have wanted.
You loved to fly and I know that you are up there right now doing just that! Take care and have fun!
Love you forever,
Clive and Sue, Dean, Johanna and Andy. xo xo xo
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Dear Grandpa,
While our last times together sometimes became difficult, I want you to know that I always will love you and miss you and I will hold on to the good times. Yours and Sylvia’s trips over to Canada I can say are pinnacle memories in mine, and I’m sure the boys’, childhoods. It meant so much to always know that it would never be that long before we saw you again. You did for us, as you did for many – open up our worlds. To have a Grandpa who could reveal to us the secrets of our own city (you knew Toronto better than us), take us on tram rides for the first time, teach us the joys in knowing your neighborhood locals (coffee’s, bar’s – you name it, you always befriended everyone!), to telling us and showing us photos of yours and Sylvia’s worldly journeys in Africa and New Zealand – and of course, to introducing us to Spain. While you were here, you enriched our lives in the ways you knew how. Moving forward without you, I will listen to the good things you told me – and make sure that I am happy (I am, Grandpa, I am), to stand up for myself, to carry myself with my chin high and eyes up, and to continue to grow as a strong woman. I promise I will continue to come into myself. It is sad to say goodbye, but I know that you are happy and free now, wherever you are.
Love Jo.
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Sometimes families are found rather than made. Rob became a member of my “found” family and I came to look upon him as my other Dad. When we were about to take on our two children, Rob wrote me the most incredible letter of support and told us that he had every faith in us as new parents. That support meant the world to me and it was at that moment that I knew that whatever difficult times were ahead, we would get through them. This picture was taken at the East Fortune Museum of Flight where we went for a day out when Rob came for a visit in August 2008. This was the first time that the kids met their new “Grandpa Rob” and sadly, this was also the last time that we would see him. He really hit it off with the kids. When he found out that they were struggling to learn to tell the time, he enthusiastically took it upon himself to teach them and prepared a detailed lesson plan to remedy the situation. Conner in particular took to Rob and loved the stories from his days in the RAF. He was so looking forward to hearing more when we were going to be seeing him on our visit to Spain in August this year.
The best people in life leave their mark by enriching the lives of others. In this respect, Rob was certainly amongst the very best. I know that my life and the lives of my family have been enriched beyond measure by having Rob in our hearts. My fondest memories of Rob are of our evenings of drinking whisky and putting the world to rights and sometimes the vociferous arguments that never, ever left bad feelings. We could always agree to disagree. Who’d have thought a left wing vegetarian would have found such a good friend in a man of Rob’s beliefs! Best of all, Rob taught me to sail and I think some of my happiest times were out on the water with the wind in our sails. I remember best the time when Rob, Paul and myself were sailing out in Javea Bay and a lively pod of dolphins decided to come for a good look at us. They followed us for about half an hour. It was just magical and put a big smile on our faces for the rest of the day.
Much as I shall miss Rob, I know he must be out there somewhere gliding with the breeze across the white capped seas or soaring through the clouds with a big smile on his face, laughing his lovely laugh and shouting “go on gal”!
Loves ya!
Sandy xxx
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Grandpa,
I never really felt like I got to spend enough time with you. Its hard being across the world from each other. I'm so happy that in your last few years I got to know you more than what were my childhood memories. Your arrival in Canada was always something I looked forward to.
I think the thing I will miss the most about you is your playful spirit and smiling face. I always knew that when you were around, there would be a beer, some laughs and endless shared happy memories. And if the dog was in the room a great deal of teasing at his expense : ) While I may miss this now that you are gone, I am also reminded of it everyday. You passed this and so much more, on to your son who has in turn passed it on to me and our family. I see a lot of myself in my dad, and a great deal of my dad in you. So I thank you for leaving your mark on my family and my life, I am a happy person because of it.
I know wherever you are, that you will be enjoying every minute to its fullest probably skipping across the water or soaring through the skies.
You will be missed, I love you.
Dean
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Dear Grandpa,
I have such good memories of you in Spain and Canada. You were always fun to be with and we shared an interest in sailing. I remember sailing in Spain with you on your boat, “The Golden Snare”, we were with my dad and we saw the dolphins swimming along with us. It was such fun! I also remember being on the boat with the family and feeding the fish.
When you came to Canada we always had things planned, lots of regattas where you would help on the committee boat and then the parties afterwards. It was fun to be able to drink with you once I reached 19 and earlier when dad turned a blind eye! I remember the week that we all went to the cottage. We sailed and went fishing with Dean, dad and Johanna while mum looked after the cottage and took photos. I remember Johanna catching all the fish and leaving none for us, but it was fun. I remember you at the yacht club putting on the wet suit to go sailing with dad, but you put it on backwards. We all had such a laugh. I remember the bbq’s on our deck and all of your stories of your life and flying.
You met my friends and we went to the bar. They all liked you and still talk about you.
You were always interested in what we were doing and what we wanted to do after school. I know that you were proud of us all. You were proud of me when you found out that I wanted to be a Millwright and had started my apprenticeship.
Grandpa, you were proud of lots of things but I was proud to be your Grandson, to share part of your life, to have known you and to have loved you.
I will miss you.
Love Andy.