Thursday, September 3, 2026
My condolences on the passing of your dear father. You can be sure he will always be with you, and you will smile as you remember what a wonderful man he was. I wish I had recorded all our conversations in recent years because he passed on a wealth of information to me
I first met Gene in September 1957 at Bethany Bible College in Yarmouth, NS. I was 16 and in Grade 11, and he was 20 and in his last year of Bible. The next year he took Grade 12 over again because in Nova Scotia it counted as the first year of college. He was the Residence monitor, and we became friends. I was probably a little homesick, and he was sort of a stabilizing influence at that time. He worked very hard at his studies, and he also worked in the Kitchen during meals and afterward. The cook was from Grand Manan, and I think her name was Laura Ingalls. We would often have Singspiration in the Dining Hall after Church on Sundays, and one time I was helping Gene make coffee, and I think I dropped the coffee grounds on the floor. I freaked and looked at Gene, and he laughed. So I took the broom, swept it up and put it all in the Coffee Maker. Gene had his trademark laugh about it, and we never told a soul.
Gene was a Christian in the true sense of the word. He believed we should "love our neighbours as we loved ourselves, and do good to those who hate you." He did not find fault with others. He took them as they were and loved them. He was a positive influence on me. My wife and I have been going to Grand Manan for a week in the summer. I tried to spend as much time as I could with him. I would go to church with him on Sundays. He showed me many of his favourite places on the island. I wish I had recorded our talks. He lived a very fulfilling life, and I know he missed Cheryl a lot. He told me a lot about her work in Africa. She did things for people under primitive conditions that Doctors would have found challenging.
Gene needs to have the story of his life put onto the printed page. It was remarkable, and yet he was a very humble man. He will always be part of me, and I am a better person because of his influence.
