Say "Uncle"... Goodbye to the Last Gentleman

September 8, 1921 - June 8, 2010

We said "Goodbye" to Uncle today.

Uncle was truly "The Last Gentleman", a unique man who had seen the width and breadth of changes that were the 20th century. An "Englishman" born in India in 1921, Uncle was raised by family after both his parents died while he was very young. With the start of World War II, Uncle enlisted in the Indian Air Force and served as a fighter pilot for the duration in the China-Burma-India theatre. Uncle flew all the legendary British fighters, including the Hurricane, the Spitfire, the Typhoon and the Tempest. After the war, Uncle got "demobbed" (demobilized) as soon as possible, worked in India as a commercial artist, and in 1955 he travelled to England. In England, Uncle met Auntie, and in 1957 they were married. They enjoyed 53 years of marriage as husband and wife, and as best friends. In 1965, they came to Canada, eventually settling on the West Coast. Uncle worked for BC Hydro until his retirement in the mid-80's. Retirement brought plenty of time for Uncle to devote to his passion - painting watercolours. Uncle's talent was amazing, but his modesty was even greater. The highlight of every Christmas was the hand-drawn one-of-a-kind envelopes created by Uncle, with the drawing on each envelope perfectly capturing its recipients. Uncle was fond of walking as well, and he was a frequent sight toodling along the streets of his neighbourhood in his very recognizable cap and jacket. Auntie and Uncle were fixtures at many local businesses, known by name at most, and I'm sure Uncle will be greatly missed by the staff at their favourite "haunts". Uncle was a devoted "spoiler" of his nearby niece and nephew and their families, and remained in regular contact with "the family back in England". Always impeccably turned out, polite and soft-spoken, Uncle truly was a "gentleman" in every sense of the word. Lessons learned in a bygone time served him well, and much could be learned from his calm demeanour and quiet patience. His illness came quickly and progressed rapidly, but in the end he died the way he lived - with quiet dignity.

And so I close with a heavy heart, and with the same two words that I said at every parting, but will say no more - "Goodbye, Uncle".