Monday, November 25, 2024
EULOGY PRESENTED BY MONIQUE, Darren’s wife, at Guy’s Funeral:
Firstly,
I want to say that I am honoured to speak about such an amazing man.
When I met Guy, I could tell immediately why Darren was such a calm, compassionate and loving person, because Guy also had all of those qualities. Right away, he welcomed me and Emma to the family. Kelly also noted that Guy was welcoming towards her and Evan. She said that he had the characteristics of a dad she always longed for. He was the most wonderful Papa to Emery, Gideon, Esmée and Evan. He would let Esmée (his little mouse) doll him up with her makeup and was once identified during an emergency visit, as the man with nail polish. because of some of the beautifying that Esmée had done days prior.
He thought Gideon was the most fantastic boy/teen even when he was mischievous and loud, and enjoyed chatting about anything and everything that Gideon was interested in. Emma has a really tough shell that Guy somehow was able to crack with his quiet caring nature. He always made sure to fit in a chat and tell her how much he cared. Even though Evan was older when Guy met him, Guy was always kind and considerate towards him. I know that Guy was also an amazing Papa to Emery. She was his first sweet grand baby. Darren said he was so proud and thrilled be a Papa. He really just got a kick out of all the things the kids talked about and did. His interest in them and his belief in their ability to be and do well never faltered. He would always ask about the kids and give us a pep talk about them if we were complaining about them (as parents sometimes do). Whenever the kids made the trip with us for a visit, his smile was just a little bit bigger. They were so lucky to have him.
As a dad, Guy was always there to lend a hand with projects that Perry and Darren had under way. He helped Perry and Kelly put in flooring in their first house. He helped build a deck on the front of the first house that me and Darren lived in together. Even though he got tired here and there, he still very much wanted to help out and guided the process from a lawn chair. Anytime Daren had issues with the car, he would call up his dad for diagnostics. He was an amazing listener and offered up life advice whenever the boys were in need. He was so proud of Darren and Perry and the men they had become. His eyes lit up when his boys were around. Guy wasn’t one to always throw out the phrase “I love you” when the boys were growing up. He knew that the words alone were not the thing that mattered most. He showed his love to them every day in his actions as a father. He was invested, sensitive and accepting no matter what.
Guy was a devoted husband and had many great adventures with Mary. They lived in Saskatoon, Gull Lake, Dollard, Shaunavon, Calgary and back to Shaunavon and then finally Swift Current. They went to concerts, took trips to Cypress and visits to Regina of course to see the grand kids.
Now for the magic.
If you ever wanted to see Guy completely glowing and the most full of life, just throw him in a room with his brothers, other family members and friends along with some guitars and other instruments and bam! Guy would have a non-stop smile, like the kind that was made up of pure joy. I recall the first time I witnessed this. It filled my heart right up.
In the last few weeks that Guy was with us, he started to share some beautiful sentiments; almost as if he was wanting us to all stay positive and look for the happiness in life. I want to share them with us.
-any smile is a good smile.
-you’ve got to give love a chance.
-don’t ever forget that I love you!
It’s hard to truly capture the essence of someone in a few words, especially a person as wonderful as Guy.
If anyone else wants to share a story about Guy, please feel free to come on up.
