Fred
passed away this morning (Saturday, Feb. 21st). He was 89 years
old. Who was Fred? Well, he first hooked up with my family in about
1992, after meeting my mother during a lengthy hospital stay. (Mom
was in for a while, and his sister shared a room with her). After
Fred's sister passed away he moved out of his home in Ferryland,
Newfoundland and into a retirement home, but spent much of his time
in the city. Well when it got to the point that he had his own room
at our house, and he'd return to the old folks home once a month
to pay his rent, we just asked him if he'd like to move in.
Fred
never really had a family, no kids, just his sister. From the stories
he told (and man could he tell stories) i'd always figured he'd
never married because he couldn't find just one woman to settle
down with, he loved them all too much. The only realtives we knew
of were a few nieces and nephews, and his late sister Jenny, and
his brother Mike. But we'd heard plenty about his mother, he must
have really loved that woman.
Fred
was a fisherman, and he hated every minute of it. He told us many
many times about waking up at 2am to get ready for work, and the
first ritual of his morning routine was to throw up at the thought
of going out on the water. He got out of the racket in later years,
and wound up a janitor at a high school in Ferryland.
For
me, Fred was more a brother than anything... People would ask me,
"who is that guy to you?" and i'd always reply, "My
80-odd year old brother." And that's pretty much how we got
along, sure we ribbed each other, but we always had that mutual
respect. Fred told myself and my Dad more stories than anyone else
i think... how he played cards one night for a Cow (he didn't win),
or how he fell down a well on his way home from a dance while trying
to dodge his father. (and avoid heading out on the water), and hundreds
of others... He took to my family instantly, my little cousin Chelsea
gave him the heartwarming nickname "Poppy Fred". There
was affection for him from all sides... He may not have had a family
of his own in years gone by, but for the last 14 years he certainly
did! And the vast majority of his time spent with us was a time
he spent full of love for life, and while his body may not have
been up to the task, his mind was as vigorous as a 17 year old boys',
with a whimsy and charm to his personality to match it.
How
do you mourn the loss of someone who lived a full life? Someone
who enjoyed his later years perhaps more than any others in his
time... He went peacefully with no struggling, no suffering, which
tells me he knew it was just time... Why bother mourning, why get
all worked up because he's gone, instead i'd rather look back and
remember the time he spent with us and celebrate his life.
Here's
to you brother! Rest easy, you don't ever have to go fishing again...
