The first time I remember seeing Pete, I was 8 and he was 9. He was feeding a 600-pound pig on our grandparents’ “farm” on Vancouver Island, which involved Pete coaxing this beast into the corner of her pen, squeezing the gate on her as he slipped in and past her, dumping the slop into the trough, and getting the hell out of the way as this pig came rumbling in for her food. It—and he—seemed so cool. I was never trusted with this task. In my parents’ and grandparents’ defense, I was 8 going on 5 and Pete was 9 going on 12. Despite that, Pete was always generous with me. I had two older brothers so I was used to being excluded. But during that family reunion, I remember getting to play with him a lot. Maybe he also regarded me as a pest but if he did, he never let on. I never got the opportunity to be close to Pete. It was a long way from Quebec to Texas or Colorado, so we got together only a handful of times over his life. So much of what I know about him is through listening to Karen talk about him (and boy did she talk about him). Of course, I feel just as lucky to have gotten to know Karen so well in Montreal, then Vancouver, than I feel incredibly unlucky that I didn’t get to do the same with Pete. But every time I did get to spend time with Pete, it was always so easy. Nothing awkward, no discomfort. Just hanging out, chatting, catching up…and laughing. There was always a lot of laughing. That casual, laid back ease was probably just Pete, the way he was with everybody. But I also sometimes think that being cousins played a part too, gave us a familial bond, but also one that ran deeper somehow. Anyhow, I’ve been through an incredible range of emotions over the past few weeks. Shock, of course, and incredible sadness, for Pete, but also for Karen and Auntie Mary and his girls and all the other people who knew and loved him. I also feel regret and guilt that I didn’t make more efforts to get together with him. As time passes, I’ve been able to think a bit more about those great moments with a good man, and less about the life that was taken too soon. My biggest wish right now is that those who were closest to him can, over time, get to that point too, where warm recollections of Pete can maybe, just a little bit, soothe what must be the tremendous pain of losing him. Love to all who loved him. -dale