Our dear friend, Don, passed away peacefully last night with Elaine by his side.
Dearest Elaine, we know you will miss Don terribly and we hope all the happy memories will help through this time of grief. You and Don really knew how to be a couple and your love for each other was boundless.
Earlier this week, Don emailed his friends to say goodbye. He asked us to remember the laughs and all the good times we shared together and not to be too sad.
We got to say goodbye.
Dear Don and Elaine,
Don, you are larger than life and you always lived life large. You are a completely unique individual and no one is like you in the entire world. You have always had such a sense of fun and joie de vivre. We feel very blessed and fortunate to have known you and to share so many good times and trips with you and Elaine.
We remember the blasts we had a Whistler for a number of years, New York, San Francisco, San Diego and local trips to the Gulf Islands and the Okanagan. And when you joined us in Ireland. But the best trip of all was when you joined us in at our villa in the south of France in our wonderful little village of Carqueiranne. We took you to Paris, Brussels, and all round the south of France but Don, you always commented, "Why are we going anywhere else…this (Carqueiranne) is the best place." And it was! Is there anyone in the world who enjoyed that market as much….I don't think so. We still laugh when we think of the rabbit you bought from that fellow. You made his day, his year, his life perhaps. You are like that. You can make people laugh and smile and appreciate things.
The laughs, the food, the fellowship….we will miss all these things, dear friend, but we have so many happy memories of our times together. You will always be in our hearts and we know you'll be making wisecracks in the spirit world at our expense…and we will smile and not be sad.
Au revoir, très très, cher ami.
All our love, Jim and Janice
Richard wrote Don a note as well and this observation captures Don perfectly, I think:
Let me tell you about something I started doing as a kid but still catch myself doing. It's a way of laughing I picked up from you. I guarantee that we'll continue to share a laugh for many year to come because we literally share a laugh. It's a short burst of a "ha" that stuns the uncomfortable, makes it safe to make fun of anything and makes way for anyone to join in. It's equal parts generosity, mockery, recognition and wonder. Only you could make such a recipe work.
Don, I'll never forget you and your unflinching embrace of life. And I'll always be grateful for having been swept up in that embrace.
Lots of love to you and Elaine,
Richard
