Music title: In the garden

As his carer, it was an honour and a privilege to be able to look after such a special, proud ,generous and inspiring man. The following poem I dedicate to Dad: God took the strength of a mountain The majesty of a tree The warmth of a summer sun The calm of a quiet sea The generous soul of nature The comforting arm of night The wisdom of the ages The power of the eagle's flight The joy of the morning in spring The faith of a mustard seed The patience of eternity The depth of a family need Then God combined these qualities When there was nothing more to add He knew His masterpiece was complete And so, He called it.....Dad. (Author unknown) Dad may have departed this world but I suspect his spirit still lingers, admiring the view over the garden, through his favourite picture window.

Dad was my hero, my friend, someone I could have a good laugh with. Dad and I had a profound sense of empathy, mainly because we had both been through things that you would not want anyone else to go through. I am proud to be his son and proud to be a member of the Virtue Clan. I include below a poem that I adapted for his 90th birthday in January. Our Father, Our Guiding Light Dad, you’re like the sun to us, A sure thing, always there, Beaming light and warmth on our lives. Whatever is good in us today, We owe to your wisdom, your patience, Your strength, your love. You taught us by example, As a role model, How to be our own persons, How to believe in ourselves, Instructing us without controlling us. Even when we disagreed, You held us together, So our bond was never broken. We understand what you did for us, And we are so grateful that we have you, As our solid foundation, our rock. We respect you, we admire you, we love you, Our guiding light, our father. Thanks Dad and thankyou Mum for everything you did for me. I know that you are both at peace now and I know that you will be watching over us and caring for us in a different way. Love you always. Gregory

Elaine Caragher. There are just so many things that I remember about my Dad. He had a very good sense of humour and loved a joke, particularly Irish jokes. He always had time for everyone no matter what. Family meant the world to him. He loved his property "Carrara". He always used to say that he was going to take it with him. He was always interested in his cattle, his potatoes, and his garden. Most of all he loved a beer. The afternoon before he died he sat up and drank a beer. In the morning he was totally incoherant and it was impossible to understand anything he was trying to convey. All of his 7 children were with him in the afternoon and he sat up with his beer and proceeded to clearly tell us how much he loved us and he thanked us for all our love and support. He knew he was dying and that there wasn't much longer to go. He spoke quite clearly for approx 7 minutes. This to us was his parting gift something to always remember.<br /> We will miss him everyday, just as we miss our Mum. They were the most wonderful parents anyone could possibly have and we were so blessed.