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Light a Candle
“A quiet space, some quiet time, a minute to hear your voice one more time.” We miss you Dad. Our father (Bob to most of you), passed away in his home in Portsmouth, NH on May 6th. There’s so much that we could say in his memory, but simply put, he was a generous man with a huge heart, and we loved and admired him. While we’re deeply saddened about his loss, we are incredibly grateful to have had him as a father and best friend. As you may know, Dad battled both heart disease and Parkinson’s in his final few years. Despite being increasingly challenged by his illnesses, he retained his best qualities to the end, including his constant nature to put everyone, especially his family, first. Several days before he passed, (in bed and under the effects of various pain medications), he somewhat urgently needed to inform us that, “The number for Star Trek is on my desk...I know you need it” Our initial laughter gave way to tears when we realized that he didn’t necessarily want us to talk to Captain Kirk or Dr. Spock - but he did want to be certain that we had everything we needed when he was gone. Before Dad passed he told us “if you do any type of service, please, keep it simple!” He was too wonderful to not do anything, so we plan on having a celebration of Dad’s life on June 13th, mid day, in the Portsmouth/Rye NH area. More specific details will follow soon. We hope you’ll be able to join us and share some of your favorite memories and stories about Dad. We’d love to celebrate his life with all of you, and share all of our many tales, which range from the inspirational, such as the history behind the Ford Foundation scholarship he received as a high school junior that allowed him to travel from a small coal mining town in Pennsylvania to New York City to study at Columbia University, to the more light hearted, like the time that he left a waiter in Digby, Canada, speechless (and our Mom in hysterics) by asking if the Digby scallops were fresh. As most of you know, our mother passed away from Alzheimer’s Disease and Dad was a huge supporter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Sarah, and her team, participate annually in an Alzheimer’s Association’s Memory Ride. Sarah, Jon, and Jon’s wife, Deb, are also going to participate this year in the New England Parkinson’s Ride. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you please consider donating to one of these two charities, or if you’re inclined, we’d love to have you join one of our teams! The links to our fund raising pages are below. Alzheimers Memory Ride - Awesome Dames New England Parkinson’s Ride - Team Wilkinson Love and peace, Sarah, Jon and Andy Wilkinson
