I wrote this tribute to be read out as a eulogy during the funeral service, which is happening right now (8am Chicago time / 2pm England time). I'm sitting here with my compulsory glass of gin, joining my family in thought and spirit (no pun intended... well...)
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Of all my many fond memories of my Uncle John, it's the Christmas holidays that stick out for me the most. From about the age of 9 onwards, I went every year with my Mum and Dad to stay with Uncle John and Marion for several days at Christmas. What good times we had! One year, we were all extra excited because Uncle John had built a bar in his living room! I had never seen beer pulls and spirit optics up close - I was 14. Now the drinks could flow in style! What was even more exciting was that Uncle John had a "special mission" for me and Trish on Christmas day - we were appointed the official "bar maids" of his new establishment! He commissioned us to go around and keep filling everyone's glasses from the bar... Our training included being shown how to use the beer pull and the optics (there were at least 3 - one for gin, vodka and rum), and I remember he whispered to us, with a wink, "And help yourself to anything you want, too!" That was quite an initiation... In my re-telling of this story over the years, it was me who slept in the downstairs bathroom that night, but infact, I think it was someone else, who shall remain nameless, who has the real credit for that!
Whilst we all have drinking stories to share, I think one particular memory, personal to me, was the day I gave Uncle John his first (and last) piano lesson! Uncle John always wanted to give anything a go - at least once - and he decided piano playing looked like fun! He certainly ranks quite highly as one of my most stubborn piano pupils! The "lesson" was quite a laugh - no conventional scales or exercises, but by the end, I had just about managed to teach him to play "'Ere we go, 'ere we go, 'ere we go" (with one finger!) And after that, Uncle John always claimed that he taught me everything I knew about piano playing! One of his running jokes, every time he saw me play was, "Oops, you haven't quite got that little finger right yet, Vic!"
We all know that Uncle John was generous to a fault... Of all the many gifts he gave me, I will always be especially grateful for the experience of traveling to Vancouver to visit my Canadian relatives... And when he was arranging this, he said, "And don't just go to Canada, why not visit America as well?" And so, he paid for me to go to Florida too, AND a weekend hotel in San Francisco, on the way up to Vancouver, as well! Could it be that Uncle John was responsible for my eventual move to America in the end?? His gift certainly increased my fondness for the U.S.... But I know he just wanted to give me the opportunities that he knew I would not otherwise have had...
Not to mention the car he gave me for my 18th birthday, passed on from Maria... I was so lucky to have an Uncle that could do these sorts of things for me, as well as just being the fun, loving person he was....
Whilst so sad not to be there in person on this day of celebration of Uncle John's life, I will raise a glass of Gin over here, even though it'll only be 8 o'clock in the morning my time!! And I will sit and think of you all there, and I'll pay tribute to him in my thoughts... What a wonderful Uncle to have, what a wonderful person he was.
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Good bye Uncle John - you will never be forgotten.
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