January 31, 1915 - June 11, 2000
To Our Father
There are thousands of reasons that we loved our dad. To name just a few of them, and I think these are the most important, is that he loved his music. Ragtime Jazz. He loved listening to it, as well as playing it on the saxophone, and clarinet. Dad also loved his work with the Airlines.
Our father was loved by all of us because he enjoyed His Wife and family. All seven of us, he enjoyed his taking us out to the parks, where we would picnic or go on camping trips. He would attend all of our School functions that we had. There was always food on the table, and a shelter over our head, clothes and shoes, on our backs and feet. I would always remember, when I pretended to be asleep, he would gently come over, and pull up the blankets, that were down, to make sure we were all comfortable and warm, on those cold nights. In all respects, he thought of his family first, and himself, second. He would always make sure that we had the special treats in our life, which was affordable, and always, would go the extra mile to make us happy.
His love for music is something, he cherished, very much. He would share the music and the history behind it with all of us. Dad loved his saxophone, and the clarinet. He loved to play in the bands, at the senior citizens' homes, dance halls, and various other functions around town. I would see him come back home, with a smile on his face, telling us of all that took place at the dances that he played at. He would always search for the sheet music for that the bands, and transpose the music for the various musicians, that played in the band. This I could say, with no hesitation, that he loved his music as much as his family. This is what gave him the zest for life.
In the time our family, moved to Vancouver, our father took the best care of us that he could. We never starved, we always had clothes, and when we were sick, he always took care of us. Dad would always find some kind of work, and any kind, at that, to make sure that we were always well cared for, and never suffered in any way, because dad was always there for us, in times of need. When he found work with Canadian Pacific Airlines. We moved from Chiliwack, to Vancouver, where the family was, once again, settled down.
This is only some of the things that made dad so special. The caring way showed his love to each and every one of his children, and his loving wife, Bernice. The quality time that he gave, along with the Music he loved so much, and his devotion to our family will never be forgotten. I will tell my son, and hopefully, he will know that his grand pa was a very special man. We’ll always love you Dad.
Eugene Demers, A.K.A Eagle
June 16, 2000
The above essay was written by me, Gene, as the eulogy for my father's funeral. No one else knew what to do or even know how to go about it, but I knew, in my heart, that something had to be said and done for my father. The only way I knew how to do an "ordered" and any kind of sumation, of my father's life was to put it all in Essay form. A copy of this essay is resting with him in his grave.
D-Day WWII
A little known fact about our father, was when he was finaly shiped overseas, to fight the war in Europe, was the day he landed, the war was declared over, just as his plane touched down in England. He was pretty happy that he could turn around, and go home again. FAMILY BIO'S
