Allan for me, and many others I believe, will be remembered fondly with a smile on our face because he was so often smiling. Ready with a hug or handshake in greeting at every meeting. I couldn’t have asked for a better ‘extra’ brother.

Although Al was a large powerful man you didn’t have to look very hard to see the marshmallow centre barely hiding below the surface. He made the effort to fit in with our family and did it so well that he simply became one of us and so he will be greatly missed.

Allan and Victoria were there at every family gathering if at all possible and he made the rounds talking to most everyone for at least a minute or two. He could talk with any of us about almost anything but he also usually had questions. And he would actually pay attention to the answers! A good listener is priceless in our crazy world.

My brother Leon shared an amusing story with me. He and Christine were visiting Victoria and Allan when they had the farm north of Fulda. As usual they were all playing Kaiser. When Allan stepped away for a bathroom break, Victoria, Christine and Leon figured they should stack the deck in Allan’s favor. They gave him a perfect Kaiser hand, all the while talking and laughing about it. When Allan came back into the room he gave them a peculiar look and picked up his cards and said something like “This is a really good hand!”. Then he said, “you know, I could hear everything you said while I was in the bathroom.” They all had a good chuckle then!

And who remembers the years of Allan’s big white beard? One of the pictures I saw recently reminded me of a story he told us a couple of years ago. Vicky and Allan were just exiting a restaurant a few weeks before Christmas and a line of young children, perhaps 4-6 yrs old or so were just coming in. They were all enthralled passing this personification of their favourite toy giver until finally one little girl stopped in front of him and looked up….way way up….and asked quizzically “are you Santa Clause?”

I was fortunate to have some time to chat with Allan close to the end. I told him I felt honored and privileged to share time with him so close to his transition time. We talked about everything and nothing just like old times.

There are some things that struck me about our conversation…. His acceptance of dying….. ‘I don’t mind dying, the transition can be a little rough, but it’s just a short time’ he said holding his thumb and forefinger a half inch apart.

(It struck me that last Wednesday afternoon in the hospital that Victoria & Allan did this final thing for Allan like they did everything else…..carefully, thoroughly, with a great deal of thought and most of all, together as a team. What a team!)

He seemed mostly content. I imagine that it was because he kept saying ‘It was a good ride’. I like to believe that this, along with having Victoria by his side, eased his transition.

I hope this also gives my big sister, their children and grandchildren the comfort they need at times, knowing they are the major reason why he felt it was a good life well lived. Would that we all live well enough, in our own way, that at the end we too can say contentedly “It was a good ride”

• By Janine Froess (Allan’s sister-in-law)