Wednesday, January 17, 2024
The man you described as quiet, loving his newspaper, and sipping a drink is exactly the Uncle Pete that I remember visiting when I was a kid. Except for the quiet part, Uncle Pete and my Dad were similar in that way. I can picture Uncle Pete sitting in his chair in the living room absorbing every word on the page. I never interrupted him and at the same time, he didn't remove himself from the chatter amongst my Mom and her baby sister (my Aunt Isabel), Stephanie and Christine. Uncle Pete didn't usually join in the conversation, but he was in the room! Come to think of it, he was the same when he visited us in Mississauga. FYI, with Stephen 10 years younger, he wasn't around for most of my early visits. I recall going to the see the sites, including visits with Aunt Isabel to Manotick and to see Uncle Pete's side of the family in Heart's Desire. He was reliably waiting for us at home though. He kindly took us on the boat which was so fun and also made sure we were safe around the water. All of us would often sit on the deck to have breakfast, enjoying the view. The house and gardens always looked wonderful and it seemed to me that Uncle Pete loved where they lived and was proud of it. I felt like he just took it all in when we sat outside. That's what comes to mind when I think of Uncle Pete. He was quiet, kind, serious, smart, and patient. That's how I remember him. R.I.P. Love to the family.
