Remembering Gus

My brother-in-law, Gus, had never been sick in his life. So when he appeared to have the flu and was not well within a couple weeks, my sister was concerned. He attended the walk-in clinic, was home in an hour with paperwork for more tests, and by the next morning was in the hospital where surgeons removed a burst appendix and a cancerous tumor.

The following months were full of appointments and chemo treatments while working a new job. As time passed and the tumors grew the decisions grew tougher, from further treatments to palliative care. Gus died on February 2, exactly one year after that first visit to a doctor.

Gus was all life. My sister refers to him as her “all or nothing man”. He was salesman to the core, enthusiastic about anything he did. He once financed a family trip across Canada by stopping in each city and selling door viewers. He was pleased to even sell one to a blind man.

He was especially passionate about books. His slogan in the publishing business was “Helping others tell their story”. He had assisted over 400 authors publish their story in book form. Last fall we were privileged to host my sister and brother-in-law in our RV while he attended his publishing booth at a writer’s conference. It was his last “well” weekend.

Last week our family gathered in Winnipeg to attend the memorial service and to celebrate Gus’ life. It was a bitter-sweet time. Visiting with family was delightfully encouraging, but there were constant reminders of the one missing.

There was the usual reminiscing about the goofy things Gus would say. Every day was “Happy Monday (or any other day of the week). As the pastor remarked, when asked if the cup was half full or half empty Gus would probably reply, “Who cares? Do I get to keep the cup?”

Visits always included a tour. Because of Gus, I am more familiar with the cities of Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Belleville. I’ll always remember my afternoon with him to see how far he could drive along the 49^th parallel. We ended up at the end of a dirt trail in a farmer’s field, but not without passing several border markers.

I will be forever grateful to my brother-in-law for taking pity on a lonely farm kid thrust into the city after high school by providing activities to distract from homesickness, even if he drew the line at spending money on me! He was a “people person”, always interested in what was happening in others’ lives.

Gus planned his own memorial service, where we heard his story backwards from the “afterword” to the “introduction”. Each song was about words, the Story, and The Word of God. One could feel the faith and courage that had kept his spirit strong. Life here on earth won’t be the same without him, but because of Jesus’ death and resurrection we know we will meet again.