Wednesday, May 2, 2012
I was so terribly sad to hear the news of Robert's passing, and my heart goes out to Gloria and the family. Since Kim and my son, Lewis, fell in love, Kim's extended family has made me feel that I am an honorary member of that family. This warmth has been extremely important to me. Since first meeting him, I had become very fond of Robert. One particular event comes to mind, and reveals his warmth and generosity. At Lewis and Kim's wedding, a bunch of my college friends had come over to Winnipeg, and we had decided that after the ceremony we would go on some kind of trip into rural Manitoba. At Curt and Judy's party the day after the wedding, my old friend John had been talking to Robert about our amorphous plans, and Robert had immediately offered to take us out to the lake cottage. Madness! But terribly generous. So we went out and had the most wonderful time. On our last night there, the British contingent sat out on the rocks, amazed by the night sky and the cries of loons; Robert was in the cottage watching a vital Stanley Cup game. Halfway through the game, however, he abandoned the TV to come out and sit on the rocks with us. Robert gave up a hockey game to hang out with a bunch of ex-hippies! And, under the stars, the conversation became wide-ranging and profound. Without exaggeration, it was one of the best nights of my life. And now I'm crying. I think Robert had a good time with us lot, too. In fact, I know this because he told us. From me, and from all those Brits, I can only thank Robert for giving us that evening. Of course, Gloria and the children and their partners, and Judy and Curt, were all part of this experience, too. Such warmth! Gloria, Judy, my heart is with you and the family. Part of me will be in Winnipeg on Wednesday. I shall miss Robert. With great affection, Charlie
