My favorite uncle, Arthur Berrier, died this week at the age of 106. I just talked to his granddaughter, Jamie, and she said he went very peacefully. A fitting end to a long steady life. Steady, that is what he was, steady, reliable, faithful, true. Attributes not much in fashion these days, but they served him well and perhaps lengthened his years. We laughed that he was like the Ever Ready bunny. He just kept going and going and going. Actually, he was probably more like the tortoise in the story of the tortoise and the hare. He was slow and steady until he finished the race. It's pretty amazing if you think about it. After his wife ,Esther, died in the mid 90's he continued to live in their apartment until just two months ago. The last year Kelly, his granddaughter-in-law, came in to help prepare his meals and make sure he ate, but other than that he took care of himself. Ironically, Kelly gave birth this week to another Berrier, as if to make up for the hole he left.
I loved Uncle Arthur and always knew that he loved me as well. I know I amused him. Up until the very end, whenever he saw me, he would smile, laugh and remind me of some story from my youth that I would just as soon forget. Like the time I missed a turn and drove my family's car into his country store. But he always was laughing with me, not at me. He was too gentle and forgiving for that.
For the past ten or so years, the celebration of his birthday has become the central family get-together. Friends and family came from all over the country and even the world to celebrate. Every year we would tell him we would see him next year at another birthday celebration, and he would shyly say that he might not make it. But he always did, and so we would gather to celebrate another year. We will be gathering once more tomorrow. To celebrate a life lived long and well, and to mourn a man who did not change the world, but made the world a better place to be by his presence.
