Free at Last, Tribute by John Leonard
November 19, 2009
A Life to Celebrate, Tribute by John Leonard
Free at last, free at last, Thank God Almighty Lawrence is free at last. This quote by Martin Luther King is how I felt on Wednesday November 4th at 3.15 PM when Mary Lou called to tell me about Lawrence’s passing. He completed his journey with dignity, grace and love BUT never gave up-he fought to the very end with every last ounce of strength against his illness.. He never complained about the 70-80 Chemo therapies or the many surgery’s -He accepted them as necessary to get as much out of life as was possible-and he did.
Lawrence was my best friend. He was with me in the good times and the bad times however we had many many good times and not many bad times. We enjoyed each others company immensely whether it be a ski trip, a new years eve party, parties at each others home or cottage-we had a good time. He and I liked nothing better than to sit in the famous blue chairs at my cottage and discuss politics from international, national, provincial and especially local – we had the answers to everything.
We could always rely on one another. I know that if this service was for me, Lawrence would be doing the same thing as I am doing now. We agreed that the last one to leave had to shut off the lights.
We met at Port Elgin in 1977 at the Famous Eddy Hotel next to the Harbour in Port Elgin. I had heard about Lawrence earlier from my employer at my summer job. She told me not to spoil her Lawrence. Well, that didn’t work. Lawrence was best man at my Wedding, I was best man at his. Our families went back and forth and had and continue to have a very close relationship. We both really liked each others company and yet we should have been so opposite. Like Laurel and Hardy. Lawrence was the Scholar- in the top 3 at McMaster in Engineering and then went out west to complete a Masters Degree. As for me I went to York- and I did find a job! We worked as a team on various things, I was the ideas man and he would tell me if it should work. I was planning to buy a sailboat but the keel was different. I had to have Lawrence come down and give me his opinion on this boat and he was right, the keel design wasn’t a great idea and I sold the boat at the end of that year. Recently, Lise and I had pipes burst in our house on Christmas Eve or so we thought. I called Lawrence and he came right over and we solved the problem it wasn’t a burst pipe. This stopped the anxious plumber from smashing our walls that night.
Not only did Lawrence love to ski, to run and in the past, gravel runs in Bruce County-he also loved to watch Western movies. I read a quote by John Wayne which I thought appropriate to Larry which John Wayne said “courage is being scared to death-but saddling up anyways”. In the face of all this cancer crap Lawrence saddled up and kept riding.. Lawrence had a real sense of right and wrong and always intended to do the right thing-except for the tray of shooters incident at the Walker house.
I could list the many things he achevied by hard work such as top of the class at High School, full scholarships to University, at his first job a Lumonics he found lines of the spectrum that no one had found before and his name published on numerous academic papers while there. He achieved great success at work and he sure did work, staying last night after night, week after week-he really enjoyed what he did. He took his family skiing and Lise and I were a part of this many times. Whereas I liked to ski for a nice part of the day, Lawrence liked to start at the opening and stay to the close, there was no half way for Lawrence. I also found that out at the Walker house in Southampton as well! He played tennis, swam, ran, windsurfed, hiked, rode his bike, took his kids to ski lessons and races, enjoyed the odd beer or two in the past and loved sitting at our friend Rob Pollock’s patio in the summer with all the gang, laughing and talking. Our friendship was cemented here at the beach and we became the best of friends through all these activities.
Around 1980 Lawrence introduced me to Mary-lou for the first time. During the rest of his life I was with them for the first apartment at Young and Finch, the first house on Laird Drive, the house on Rykert. The birth of Guiliana, the birth of Patrick. Mary lou was very lucky to have met Lawrence and he was of her. Lawrence and Mary Lou were there for the same things for Lise and I- the apartment, the house and the birth of our children. . They were with me for the ski day that I left early for a Date-if Lawrence hadn’t encouraged me to go and leave the ski hill I would have never met Lise.
During all this cancer crap, Mary lou and Lawrence both lived as close to normal lives as they could-Lawrence’s big wish was not for a once in a lifetime trip but to live normal-to do homework with Patrick, ski with Guils and to go to work. He was a great family man to all his families, his own, the Sinclair family, his in-laws and to all his friends and their familes from the cottage. I know that Lise and I will do whatever I can for my friends family as that is what he would do for me.
I have found this hard to do a eulogy to my best friend. He and I were supposed to grow old together . I have been so lucky to have known him for 32 years and it was his time to go however unfair it may to be myself and all of us.
Goodbye Lawrence and I will remember to shut off the lights when I leave .
