Goodbye Dear Friend

Our truest friendship is unfinished.
Our fondest memories, undiminished.
I gave what I could, when I could give.
I lived with honour while I lived.
I loved you all. If you love me,
Give what you can. Remember me.

"Always be mindful of those less fortunate." - Percy Vermeersch

Those are the words written on the memorial card I picked up at the funeral home yesterday when I attended the visitation for our friend Percy. It was a long afternoon, fraught with tensions and emotion. Percy's wife Carol and his daughters and son remained mostly composed throughout the afternoon. Carol only brimmed with tears when she first saw me and then when we said goodbye. Though I normally stay for only a few minutes at visitation, circumstances warranted that we stay for the best part of the two hours of the afternoon session. People came and went who had been associated with Percy through the years of his devoted employment. Some, like Merv, left the company on their own terms. Others were pushed out. Though there were many hard feelings and strained relationships, for the most part, people behaved graciously. After all, we were all there for the same purpose - to mourn the loss of a good man who touched all our lives.

At the funeral today the small church overflowed with close to three hundred mourners - the vast majority from out of town. Rather than an organist, Percy's brother provided all the music for the mass, playing his guitar and singing. When the mass was done, the priest turned the pulpit over to one of Percy's oldest friends so he could say a few words about an extraordinary man. His remarks were brief but kind. He reminded us of the things Percy valued in life - God, family, friends and service. Not that any of us really needed reminding. Percy lived his every day in service to God through service to people.

The funeral mass was followed by a reception at a local marina. It was held in a beautiful room overlooking the water. On a sunny day it must be a wonderful view. But today, the skies were gray and the air was frigid. And somehow that seemed right.