Escaping from the social experimentation of the cultural revolution, Dad made his way to Calcutta, India to live with our relatives there. His older brother settled in Hong Kong. In Calcutta, Dad settled down and fell in love with the girl next door; my mother Kathleen. Eventually, Dad found work as a ship's engineer, maintaining their great steam and diesel engines as the ships sailed from port to port. Travel would last for months and Dad would return to his family, my mother and two kids: myself, and my big sister Shirley.
But it was a tumultuous time in India, filled with sectarian violence and fear. We would then move from India to Hong Kong, living with relatives there: 7 kids to an apartment. It was here our family expanded with my little sister Iris. It was crowded and hot but we were together. Dad was still working on the seas and mom was taking on small jobs to keep herself busy.
We will always be grateful to our aunt Dorothy who sponsored our family, her brothers and sisters, to immigrate to Canada. In Canada our family expanded to 4 with my little brother Christopher. Dad found work as a diesel mechanic with Canadian Pacific Railway. Whenever we heard news of a train derailment, we knew that Dad would get the call to come in to work long hours to repair the trains. At the Canadian Pacific family days, we would get to go to the train yards and climb aboard the trains as Dad would explain which types he had repaired recently as we would imagine living on a train as it traveled across Canada. Growing up summers were filled with camping trips: Serpent Mound, Sandy Beach, Bass Lake, Algonguin. Dad especially enjoyed fishing and helped us to put the worms on the hooks, because seriously, we were not touching them.
When Dad retired from Canadian Pacific he took up swimming and swam lap after lap in the community pools. He and Mom took up traveling, going to China, cruising the Caribbean, and enjoying the sand and surf. Dad also had a love for music, first with Karaoke which he enjoyed everywhere he went and then he joined the Greenwood community center and took up dancing, especially liking the Tango.
Dad had a simple outlook on life, he always liked the simple things like camping and hiking. He was always a happy, joyful person who looked at the positive and did not dwell on the negative. I think that Dad would want us to remember his joy and happiness. Especially when the grandkids came over to visit, to watch them play and smile and he would want us to cherish the times we have together while we can.
Steve shared part of Dad's story, but there is a climactic ending in every good story.
My Dad's began last year in May. Dad started to lose weight because he couldn’t hold down any food. We are thankful to Dr. Terrence for his care of Dad. By November my Dad had lost 30 pounds, he was all skin and bones and his body was totally emaciated. A CT and a biopsy was done. The CT revealed masses in his body and the doctors concluded that it was cancer and since my dad didn’t want to have any chemo or radiation treatment, they put him in palliative care. We were ready to say our goodbyes and my dad was still as always resistant to God. He believed when you die you just disappear from this world.
The next day the results of his biopsy came back and there was no cancer, it was an infection that was totally treatable. At this point in the story, I’d like thank and acknowledge those who prayed for my dad and those brave enough to pray for miraculous healing. You have proven to me that God listens to our prayers and acts on them however impossible it could be.
At first, Dad was responding to the treatment and was sent home, but after a few weeks, Dad started to decline. Last week after his CT he was unable to move his legs, he was like a dead weight. I managed to get him into my car but mom decided this was not normal and the best thing was to take him to emergency. His breathing was labored and he was trying to sleep. The doctor told us it was probably a temporary reaction to the CT but they would keep him overnight. I went home, but at about 6pm that evening I got a call from my mom, she said my dad had stopped breathing by the time I got to the hospital, my dad was already gone. I was devastated and filled with sorrow that I would never see my dad again.
Then my mom told me that Rev. So had visited that morning and prayed with him and Dad had accepted Jesus as his Savior. I was so thankful, I couldn’t fathom how merciful God is, to give my dad one last opportunity for salvation. God pursued my dad till the very end. We tried to contact Stephen who was on a business trip in China. We didn’t know that was the day he was returning and at some point on his flight, his plane had flown low enough that he got a ping on his phone and got our messages. He contacted us as soon as he landed. This was another way God showed His love and care for my dad. His timing is always perfect. My dad is no longer living in his decaying body but is alive in the presence of His Savior. What amazing Grace!
Dear friends, we are so thankful that you came today, to say good last byes. Wouldn't it be even better if you could see him dance in heaven? My dad will probably have a ballroom to do his tango in his house. God loves you. Why don't you give Him a chance?
