I've only known my dad for around half of his life, and it's so hard to sum up someone's life in a few words, but i think i know a few things about him:

He had wonderful friendships
because he was a great friend.

He grew up in a loving family
because he was a supportive son.

He had a terrific marriage
because he was a devoted husband.

He had a successful daughter
because he was an incredible father.

He constantly learned new things
because he let himself be open to challenge.

He lived in a beautiful place
because he was passionate about his craft.

And sometimes, i think we can all agree, he was just an ornery old cuss ;)

So many beautiful things have been said about dad that pay him tribute, so i'll just tell a short story here.

A few years ago, my boyfriend Patrick and i had a cat named Yinster, who was the first cat that dad actually liked. If you knew how dad felt about cats, you know that was quite a feat. Well, Yinster disappeared one day and never came back, and Patrick and i were sad and hung his ID tag from on old chime that came with the house we rented at the time. When we moved, we took that chime with us, but it was in sad shape, with tarnished bells and a rusty old jar lid to hold it all together. The last time my parents visited, around last September, dad offered to 'do a little something' to improve the chime. So i sent it to him. And months passed. And more. Soon it became a running joke in our house that we'd see Yinster again before we saw the chime. But just a few weeks ago, it arrived back to us, and i almost didn't recognize it - he had turned it into a work of art. The tarnished bells were now polished until they glowed, and the rusty jar lid replaced with a hand-carved piece of wood from our old apple tree that was planted the year i was born, and knocked over in a storm this past year. And he designed a wooden butterfly, to hold the ID tag and catch the wind, because he said that Yinster had 'a certain special free spirit.'

Everything that dad did in his life, he did with that same love, attention and devotion. And i think that's why we're all here today - not only to mourn his death but to celebrate his life. Hopefully all of you will keep a little bit of his spirit alive with you. I know i will...