Today I celebrate a life.
A life of a husband, father, brother, grandfather, friend, co-worker, leader, missionary, and saviour.
A life that is so dearly missed.
Today I want to express my love for a man who had a huge impact on my life. He did not fight in war for his country, but he fought for the people in his community. A community that needed him. A community that will mourn him for many more years to come. And will always be remembered, for many years to come.
For those of you who did not have the opportunity to meet this wonderful man, he was a caring man who was very proud of his accomplishments - his family and his work.
He traveled the world only to come to Canada and call it “home”. He was a dedicated and loyal husband to his wife for over 29 years, a loving father to three children, one whom he adopted because he felt she needed a better home.
He was blessed and overjoyed the day he was called “abuelo” (grandpa), when his first and only grandson he got to meet, entered the world.
His life journeys were not always easy, but he always managed to have a smile on his face and make everyone around him feel at ease, welcomed and approachable. His smile was a magnet to others for long conversations.
He was not one to say “I CAN’T” or “I DON’T KNOW”. Instead, he would tell you “don’t worry”, which meant he will figure it out and help you along the way. He would go out of his way to find solutions and help everyone and anyone.
Until today, I try to figure out how he found the time do so much as I wish I could follow in his footsteps. He had a home and family, a 9-5 job, he was a community leader that entailed organizing numerous events throughout the year, he was part of Toronto Housing organizations, which again entailed not only maintaining buildings, but maintaining relationships with the tenants and the board members.
He also enjoyed helping the seniors in his community. I remember at his funeral an elderly couple approached me and told me that they met dad through his work. They had no family in Canada and their English was very limited and went to the centre for some advice and financial help as their garage roof was caving in. Well, the advice he gave them was not to worry and he would find a crew to help them out with the roof. Dad went to their home on a Saturday morning with two other friends, with the material and tools at hand and replaced the roof of their garage. They told me how grateful they were not only for the help they received but for meeting such a giving person in this community and giving them hope that there are good people in this world.
I truly don’t ever recall my father mentioning or complaining about a Saturday morning he had to give up, the cost, effort, time and labour it took from him to help this couple. But this is the kind of person he was. He would never say NO!
My dear father will always be greatly missed because of his commitment to his family, his community, and social clubs. And his infamous line “Don’t Worry” has become a legacy in our hearts.
Today, as I celebrate the person he was, the life he lead, the examples he showed, I look into my children’s eye’s and see what he has left behind – HONOUR, INTEGRITY AND LOVE.
I know his legacy will be carried on.
