Today, heaven is a happier place because my father is there. Heaven has gained a man, a wonderful spirit - full of life and joy. Heaven has gained a man. a spirit - so filled with love that all who knew him - loved him and were richer for it. The Heaven world and those who went before him have welcomed him home. Heaven's gain is our loss.

I hope that he has time to enjoy heaven since I know he will be busy looking after us from the other side. He will be busy watching over mom to make sure that she's OK. That has always been a priority for him. He has always put us first and tried to teach us stuff. He will always be busy making sure that Brad wears his boots so he won't freeze his feet. He will also remind Lisa to cheek the oil in her car. I'm sure that he has a recipe book all picked out to help Kathy to learn how to make the best spaghetti in the world and maybe even something else. For me, I can already hear him telling me how a car works and how to fix it. I have never been good with cars.

Today I am thankful for the certain knowledge that 1 will see my Dad again but it is hard to say good-bye to someone who was always there. To someone, who was the foundation on which your life is built. My father - was a great builder. His love has built such a strong foundation, that we - his family, will never fail. We as a family are sustained by the love we feel for each other and the knowledge that we can do anything we set our minds to do. He has left us with a legacy of gentle strength and compassion. We will celebrate him with each breath. Each time 1 look in a mirror, I do and will always see my father looking out. It is with pride that I say that I am Harry's son and that he will always be part of me.

All of his children - Kathy, Brad, Lisa and myself - thank God for our time with our Dad and the privilege of growing up surrounded by both his and mom's love. He chose to stay with us in this life for a long time and for that we are thankful. We had him here until he was 75. We were so lucky.

My father was a good man. He was a kind and loving man. He was gentle and caring and always wanted the best for us. He had a great sense of humour. He did at times have a tendency to worry a bit too much. I suspect that some of you might know what I mean by that. I think it might be genetic because I sometimes find that I am worrying too. And do you know what - I see Brad, Lisa and Kathy all doing the same thing. We are all chips off the old block. But we worry because he and mom taught us to care. To care about others, to care about each other and to care about ourselves.

Dad had a great sense of humour. That twinkle in his eye and his smile were always near. Brad has inherited dad's sense of humour. If you don't believe me talk to him for a while. Both Dad and Brad have the ability to make friends anywhere and easily.

One thing that we did not inherit from our father was his skill as a carpenter. He could build anything. Dad built his house in Timberlea and fortunately one of his adopted sons - Glen did have carpentry skills and worked side by side with him until it was done. That was a special gift that Glen gave Dad.

My father loved his family unconditionally. No matter what, we could count on him to be there to support us. He always put us first no matter what. I have seen him get up in the middle of the night to make sure that I got up to catch a plane or to say good-bye when I left on a trip. Buying presents for Dad was always difficult because all he ever wanted was for us to be happy. All he needed - all he wanted - was us. Material things meant very little to him. He never understood people who put material things ahead of love. My father was a good teacher and he taught us by example. I hope we learned his lessons well because I want to be like him.

I cant think about my father without thinking about my mother. They were such a great team. They loved each other so much and were the best of friends. They spent a lifetime together. Mom, I just want you to know how much we love you and how you and Dad gave us such great models of how to live. Your strength and courage has helped us all to deal with dad's passing.