A tribute to my great uncle

It is not usual for me to write a blogpost on a matter of personal loss, but this week I am moved to do so. My great uncle passed away on Monday morning. He was my last living great uncle. He was a gentle, energetic visionary father-figure of our family, who even in his elderly age could not sit still. His spirit was always driving to make the world a better place. He was the kind of person that everyone knew. Mentioning his name would bring a smile to people that you would never imagined he had even met, let along that he had touched their lives in such a memorable way. In fact he radically changed the lives of many. His energy filled the room, even though I remember him as a small slim man. When he was moved, or felt passionately he would spontaneously create couplets of poetry to describe his feelings. And passionate, innovative and poetic he was.

The whole extended family across the globe is mourning for his loss, and each tribute I read for him brings tears to my eyes. I did not know him well as he lived abroad, but even the few times that I was blessed to meet him, he has been indelibly stamped on my memory and my heart.

To his wife, and his children and their children too, and to the whole family and community I extend my deepest condolences.