It is difficult to fit a tribute to your own father on one sheet of paper, but we don’t have a choice. To lose a father like ours is to lose the one whose guidance and help you seek, who supports you like a tree supports its branches. A father is neither an anchor to hold us back, nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way.
He was a multifaceted man, with a passion for politics, oratory skills, Latin, and an interest in sports. A man who held the importance of education dearly and this attitude, coupled with a high level of determination and ability to persevere against the odds, meant that these values will inevitably be a source of inspiration for us.
Our father was a man of integrity, a man of substance, intelligence, and dignity. He was a giant amongst men who was entrusted with many things in this life that he stewarded to the best of his ability, but most importantly he put his trust in the Lord, and this pleases our hearts. Dad was a man
who could be equally serious as he was entertaining. He would not miss his daily crossword, referring to it as keeping his mind as sharp as a sword. He had a way with words and his
mind worked in such a way that you had to gain a new level of intelligence to follow his train of thought. Recently, he asked why he was being served vegetables that had no character. (He further added
‘give me the full AC/DC!’)
There are things about our father that we will carry with us to our dying day. These things are not only physiological features, but elements of prayerfulness, diligence, thoughtfulness and brilliant sense of humour. We have been blessed to have him as our
father, and a mentor. All these things, and much more, remain fresh in our memory, causing us to cry, praise God, reflect fondly and give us a focus and renewed purpose to run the race set before us that is inspired by facets of our father’s memory. We have lost the captain
of our ship.
JOB WELL DONE. YOU WILL BE MISSED DEARLY. REST IN PERFECT PEACE.