Friday, November 10, 2023
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In 1978, when I was in grade 1, I was enamored with the idea of owning a new pocket calculator, all the rage for young students at the time. After pitching the idea to my father, he told me that I could have one if I learned my times tables. Well, that was all the motivation I needed to memorize those one hundred numbers. The funny thing was, upon completion of that task, I realized that I no longer needed a calculator. This simple act of parental trickery might have set the stage for my future academic and professional career. For this, I am thankful for my father.
My most cherished memory with him was the family’s yearly pilgrimage to Crystal Beach Amusement Park with its fun house, roller coasters, water slides and attractions of all varieties. Of course, there was the mandatory stoppage at Jocko’s Restaurant for pancakes on the way.
He was happy to have involved himself in coaching soccer and scouting, making it clear how much he cared about his family.
When I was sixteen years of age, I expressed the desire to switch high schools. After I carefully explained all the reasons for the change, he was conscientious enough to acknowledge and understand my reasons and supported the decision, perhaps with reservations. I’m so thankful for this, as it formed the basis of my adult independence through life.
I’m amazed that he had the courage to leave his family and home country of The Netherlands to come to Canada. Knowing that he learned a new language and forged a career served as an inspiration to me. I appreciated that he spent the time and energy to bring our family back to The Netherlands for a few trips, and as I write this, I am continuing that tradition of travel, experiencing a new city in Europe.
For the last twenty-five years I have benefited from either a weekly phone call or a visit to London, and I’ll miss those chats now. During that time, we enjoyed playing pool when I returned from Toronto and his competitive streak was alive and well through to our last game.
I’m thankful that my father was able to find new love in his later years, and that he enjoyed a strong, competitive spirit through bridge, up until his last year. The picture below is of the two of us attending a Buffalo Bills game, our last big trip together.
His positive nature, sense of fairness and sense of humour were appreciated and will be missed by many.
