A Eulogy
Barry passed away early this morning. He was 78 years old.
There isn't much I can say, except the truth. Barry was a cantankerous, grumpy old man, who thought that the only way of doing things was his way and no other. Like all of us he was an imperfect man, with many faults, but who of us have few? However it is the good that we remember. Barry, in his younger days, was a bit of a traveler. He's lived in England, Tanzania, Kenya, Thailand, and The Philippines, before settling here in Canada. His passport was filled with stamps from countless countries, and he had more stories than could ever be told. But if you took the time, he was sure to tell you his tales. I can honestly say that I learnt a lot from him, as have the other young ones who in his final years helped out. He may have been grumpy, but he always had something to pass on to us, from practical advice in dealing with others, to deep philosophical discussions. I will miss those.
Though death is such a sad thing, there is a bright shimmer of hope and goodness that came out of it. When the doctors told us that Barry had little time left, we rushed to get his son John here to see him for one last time. However the first flight out of Calgary was completely booked, yet at the airport when one gentleman heard the situation, he arraigned with the airline to give up his seat on the plane and take a later flight so that John could get here in time. I don't know the name of that man, but I pray that HE blesses him. To many of us in this world are so preoccupied with ourselves that we don't care about others. By this one act, I now realize that there just may be a little hope for humanity. If only we all could be like that.
Ecclesiastes 7:1 says : "A name is better than good oil, and the day of death than the day of one being born." When our life begins no one knows what kind of person we will turn out to be. It is only at the end that our name is established. Barry had a good name amongst those who knew him. He ran the race to the end and he ran it well.
Where ever you are Barry, sleep well, we'll miss you.
There isn't much I can say, except the truth. Barry was a cantankerous, grumpy old man, who thought that the only way of doing things was his way and no other. Like all of us he was an imperfect man, with many faults, but who of us have few? However it is the good that we remember. Barry, in his younger days, was a bit of a traveler. He's lived in England, Tanzania, Kenya, Thailand, and The Philippines, before settling here in Canada. His passport was filled with stamps from countless countries, and he had more stories than could ever be told. But if you took the time, he was sure to tell you his tales. I can honestly say that I learnt a lot from him, as have the other young ones who in his final years helped out. He may have been grumpy, but he always had something to pass on to us, from practical advice in dealing with others, to deep philosophical discussions. I will miss those.
Though death is such a sad thing, there is a bright shimmer of hope and goodness that came out of it. When the doctors told us that Barry had little time left, we rushed to get his son John here to see him for one last time. However the first flight out of Calgary was completely booked, yet at the airport when one gentleman heard the situation, he arraigned with the airline to give up his seat on the plane and take a later flight so that John could get here in time. I don't know the name of that man, but I pray that HE blesses him. To many of us in this world are so preoccupied with ourselves that we don't care about others. By this one act, I now realize that there just may be a little hope for humanity. If only we all could be like that.
Ecclesiastes 7:1 says : "A name is better than good oil, and the day of death than the day of one being born." When our life begins no one knows what kind of person we will turn out to be. It is only at the end that our name is established. Barry had a good name amongst those who knew him. He ran the race to the end and he ran it well.
Where ever you are Barry, sleep well, we'll miss you.
posted by The Cube at 8:03 PM
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