Dear Editor:
While reading Mr. Don Matheson’s obituary, I thought of the many untimely things that befell the Matheson family lately. Trying, as we might, we rarely do well in conveying words of condolence. But once we do, they are ours and an inner expression of ourselves. It is an affirmation of shared sorrow and sympathy toward a family who is grieving over a loss of precious life.
It is difficult to comprehend the passing of Don Matheson so unexpectedly. Most of us were simply unaware of the gravity of his ill health, and were swept away by the swiftness of his passing.
Admiring Don is an effortless response to his distinctive qualities as a human being.
His passing doesn’t put an end to the shine in our eyes, which is the source of his godsend legacy. Yes, it ended his life, but not our relationship to him. But rather than being impoverished by what his departure took away, we can now pay homage to his amazingly engaging personality. It may not seem to be an even exchange, but we will savour his memory, because too many things will no longer be the same. It is this picture we like to cultivate.
There was much to be admired about, his sincere trust in his fellow man. He never concealed the soul within. All that any person can leave behind are the recollections that we carry in our memory. They’re never really gone until we are. Though, if the living quickly forget, it is as if the person never was.
Until we meet again, somewhere in time…
H. Funke
Edgewater, BC
