Friday, May 5, 2017
Those of you who knew him well enough, will have no trouble imagining his heaven.
The fresh smell of coffee percolating on an alcohol stove; peircing the cool crisp Purcell mountain air. The sound of a 15 hp merc 4 stroke, pushing the boat along at exactly 2.2 mph. That familiar baby blue and white Hoochie, trailing behind a stainless flasher; sixty feet beneath the surface of a perfectly calm Kootenay lake. All of this under the cloudless blue dome, of a Kootenay sky.
And there he will wait. With the patience I could never truly understand. For the faint ring of the bell, the bend of the rod, and the sound of a Gerard peeling the line off his Penn Reel. His old friend Choco, there to help him welcome the days catch on board.
He always told me, "He was just happy to be out there, if he caught a fish it was a bonus."
There is no office to get back to, no deal left to close, Just a Man and his Dog, and an eternity to patiently wait out that elusive Rainbow that is out there waiting for him.
My mother told me some years ago, "You measure your success as a Man, on whether or not you leave behind a woman who can say you treated her fairly." By this standard, Dad, you are truly a success.
I thank you for the love and bountiful life you provided Mum. The memories she will cherish always of the perfect journey you both share.
Lovingly and respectfully, your Son
