Tony

When Uncle Tony slipped peacefully away on his last great adventure I knew that I wanted to speak today. I knew that I wanted to write about him, that there were things I needed to say about a wonderful man who has been so much more than an Uncle to me, someone who has been a friend for my entire life.
…
Many of you will know I’ve published something every day for half a decade, I write for a few magazines, I do a lot of public speaking. And I have a process - I’ll scribble my thoughts down, they’ll coalesce and eventually I’ll know what to say – it’s rare I’m lost for words…

And yet so many times in this last week I’ve gone back to my desk and looked at the words I’ve started to write about Tony, about my friend, about someone who was so special to so many people, and I’ve found myself stood there, stuck, with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye, those words looking back at me;

Love, Laughter, Friendship, Happiness. 
“Tony has always been there for me”
“never a dull moment”
Joker, handyman, adventurer, fun-loving, holidays and home
“really infuriating” and “really really funny”
Forgiving, caring, smiling, sharing 
“his gentle guiding counsel”
“always ready to help”
“always ready with a hug”
Brave. Strong. Irreplaceable. 

A few minutes or a pageful of words could never be enough for any of us here today to tell our tales of Tony – to give thanks for the love he brought into our lives or acknowledge the huge gap he now leaves behind. 

I was lucky enough to know Tony and
I was truly blessed to love and be loved by him. 
But most of all I was honoured to have Tony as my friend for more than four decades - and it still wasn’t nearly long enough.