This post shares the tribute read by me at our Dad’s funeral on 11 December. Links to the Order of Service as well as a Photo Tribute Video are at the end of the post.

On behalf of our family, thank you to everyone here today who came to join us in celebrating the life of our Dad.  Also, thank you to those who could not be here today, but whom we know are with us in thought.

Even although we are sad and grieving our loss, we are here today to celebrate the life of a true legend.

Husband to our Mom, Roslyn, Dad to our family, Uncle Don to extended family and friend and mentor to many …

How does one even begin to encapsulate a life so rich, full and meaningful? A life spanning 94 years. It is impossible. And even as we have been reflecting over the past days on the impact Dad has had on our lives, more and more memories emerge from our consciousness as little things remind us of moments perhaps long forgotten.

I should say at the outset, that this is not a CV of his life, of what he did and when.

Suffice it to say that he lived a life of integrity and contribution and unwavering service.

Rather, it is a celebration of how he shared of himself and enriched the lives of those around him.

I have heard it said, that in order live a meaningful life one should bring about some sort of change in the world. I think that without a shadow of doubt, we can say that those of us who came into contact with Dad, inevitably felt the impact of his rich character, the benefit of his wisdom and the life changing effect of his prayers for us.

None of us, through our interaction with him, have remained unchanged.

So, this is not easy, and I will try to reflect on some of the aspects of his life that made an impact on us as a family, weaving memories and experiences that have formed us into the people we are today.

To our Mom, his Rossie and Mommy dear! – he was a devoted and godly husband. They shared a wonderful relationship and had a strong marriage of just over 58 years.

The couple that prays together, stays together, is not just a cliché.

In the case of Mom and Dad, it was an absolute reality. And we, as their children, have experienced the benefit of their regular prayers for us in all our endeavours.

Of their marriage, mom says that the overarching sentiment is one of “no regrets”.  From the outset, Mom says that their union was sanctioned by Scripture. They may have had their differences of opinion and surely had some healthy debates over the years, yet they made it their mantra to “Never let the sun go down on their anger”.

Mom says that they found joy in the everyday things of family life.

Being involved in the activities of us children and going on family holidays always a highlight.

As a family man, dad was a husband, father, grandfather and uncle. Patient, kind and wise.  Always prepared to advise and share wisdom, and of course to pray for us and guide us, Accepting and loving his sons and daughter in law, as well his grandchildren to whom he was affectionately known as Daddad and Pops.

As a Father, one of his specialities was storytelling!

I think all three children can remember the bedtime stories. There was Lester and the Magic Button. I seem to recall Lester was a groomsman on an estate, who had the gift of a magic button in his pocket. This magic button enabled him to be the hero in many situations by causing problems for crooks and felons; so that good would always prevail.

There was the story of the three witches, Spiky, Pepper and Sour, who could become invisible by the flick of a switch on the inside of their beaky noses, causing hilarious havoc in their community. Three mice called Nibble, Bite and Chew. There was also a chap on a bicycle called Rubberlegs.

Not an evening went by without a bedtime story, a lot of hilarity and a prayer by Dad.  This was a ritual that we, as children, eagerly awaited every night. I can also recall that as I outgrew the stories, I would demand a general knowledge quiz in lieu of the bedtime stories.  And Dad was always happy to oblige.

We can also remember the fun and laughter of games in the garden such as Skop die Blik, cricket in the park and rough and tumble.

Bedtime stories aside, Dad was a master storyteller & performer. He could not resist an opportunity provided to entertain!

An audience and piano and the entertainer in him came to the fore.

He was a teller of stories both oral and written. Anecdotes, memoirs from his childhood or the early days in Joburg. His imagination and remarkable memory made him so interesting to listen to. He could relate incidents that had happened during the war, remembering names and details of people he had met and interacted with even decades ago. Schoolboy stories from his days at Parktown Boys High used to have us in stitches.

Dad was a real comic – He loved telling jokes – and laughing at them too! When busy with household chores, you would often hear him chuckling to himself at some joke or funny incident he was recalling. He was also a great reciter of limericks.

Dad was an artist and could draw, sketch and paint – we are all lucky enough to have some of his watercolours in our homes! When we were stuck with what to get him for a birthday or Christmas, you could never go wrong with art supplies – sketch paper, pencils, paints. It is probably Janet who inherited his artistic ability – doing art up to Matric and even today painting beautifully in various media.

Dad was a talented musician.

We grew up with the sound of music and singing in the home.

I think all of us have experienced and appreciated his talents at the piano. Entirely self-taught without a single formal music lesson. His love of harmony and change of key a signature of his singing and playing. As a youngster in church, I can remember being embarrassed by Dad singing in harmony during the hymns – not realising what a gift that was to be able to do so!

(In this poignant video  Photo Tribute created by my cousin Chris Liebenberg,  at 3:30 my Dad is seen playing the piano and his music becomes the soundtrack for the rest of the video.)

Dad has been a teacher both patient and sometimes impatient. Patient when sharing with others his deep knowledge and understanding of the Word. Patient when teaching Christopher, at the age of 5 to play chess.  Chris went on to play EP chess at primary school as a direct result of Dad’s teaching and patience. He also loved playing chess with Jema on her frequent visits to Port Elizabeth.

Slightly more impatient when he was teaching us to drive…

I have some memories of strong words between us in the parking area of the Greenacres Parking lot. Something to the effect of “You’re wrecking my carburettor” Janet recalls being taught to parallel park in a family sized station wagon on a gravel road with jam tins as cones with the accompanying instructions “Reverse, and then Hard down left with the steering wheel.”

We are not sure who taught Derek to drive… we think he was born with this skill … but he fine-tuned both his sisters’ driving skills in the back streets of Newton Park … far below the legal driving age I believe 😊

Our Dad was a Lifelong learner & Scholar – always keen to learn and master new things. Emailing and being computer literate until the age of 94 is no mean feat, when many half his age claimed ignorance and being BBT’s (born before technology).  Compiling his Bible Studies electronically and saving them methodically and efficiently. A scholar of the Bible, and a preacher – and also a church planter at Lorraine Baptist Church.  He also loved to tune in online to church services all over the world when he was unable to attend church on a Sunday.

A great intellect and enquiring mind and a character of integrity, a servant leader to his family, friends and the church.

He was always interested in everything and could have meaningful discussions on any topic. Stimulating discussions on anything and everything from rugby to aviation with James and André were always a highlight for him. He was always ready to listen and learn and also to contribute to discussion with friends of all ages.

When on holiday in Johannesburg, a holiday highlight was always a trip down memory lane – with Dad directing us unerringly down the streets and avenues of Melville and Auckland Park to the various homes he had stayed in during his youth; regaling us with stories of the past as we drove along.  He had kept copies of his school reports from his days at Auckland Park Preparatory School in the 1930’s.

Dad was also a philanthropist, peace lover and humanitarian – never turning a hungry or needy person away from the door; also involved with ROTA and mission work.

Of late, during his many hospital visits, he became well known and loved by staff and patients alike – always looking for an opportunity to share his faith and to minister to others. He was fondly called Mr Lieb by all he came into contact with during his hospital visits. In the early days of his treatment, he would often sing hymns softly to himself to while away the hours of the transfusions.

At the end of 2017, Dad was diagnosed with a rare incurable blood disorder, myelofibrosis.  This entailed regular transfusions and many hospital visits. During this time Mom was a tireless and vigilant caregiver; and for this we are eternally grateful.  Thank you, Mom, for your wonderful love and care for dad. During the last 6 months, he gradually became weaker.

We were privileged to enjoy a wonderful family get together about a month ago for Mom’s 80^th birthday and dads 94^th birthday a week later. During the weekend celebrations, he enjoyed good spirit and we had wonderful time together (winning world cup was a bonus).

He always had a great sense of occasion and wanted to be sure of the programme after lunch where he would say ‘a few’ words.  Well, the few words were a poignant and nostalgic 20-minute tribute to mom on her birthday! With stories some of us heard for the first time.

Two weeks ago, he contracted an infection and was hospitalised. He weakened considerably after this and on Monday last week, the same evening after being discharged, he was called home.

He always spoke with great peace about dying, and anticipation of meeting his Saviour and those who had gone before him.

We are so thankful, and celebrate a life well lived.

Dad, we are so privileged to have had you in our lives for so long. A blessing many don’t have.

Thank you for always being a rational ear to hear us out and proudly cheer us on in our various endeavours. Your great sense of humour, imagination, kindness, your intellect, creativity and love of music and art and your principled and steadfast beliefs have permeated our lives and made them richer.

With love from us all. ‘Til we meet again.

Here is the Order of Service  for the funeral. My Dad had written out his chosen hymns the Bible reading for his funeral service in 2017 already.

Here is a poignant video  Photo Tribute created by my cousin Chris Liebenberg. The video is 7:24 minutes long. At about 3:30 my Dad is seen playing the piano and his music becomes the soundtrack for the rest of the video.