Someone asked me yesterday whether you and I were close and it got me thinking: you had the gift for making anyone feel like they were your closest and dearest friend. We weren't, in all reality, but if I saw you in the library, getting your coffee from Mack's, I knew you'd wave, say hi and ask me about my day. And I knew that when I told you about how busy I was or complained about the cold weather you were listening and cared. Because that was your gift, Paul.
You were also an incredibly talented man who had the patience to teach even the least handy of people how to drill nails into a piece of wood! And you never grew weary of answering my questions about which drill bit would work best because when I was rounding out the edges of my 15th nail or returning with yet again the wrong tool you weren't my teacher, you were my friend and colleague. An often endless source of cheerful encouragement.
People like you come few and far between. I am blessed to have laughed with you, blessed to have shared frustrations and joys with you and honoured to have had the opportunity to create such beautiful and exciting things with such a talented man.
I will forever miss you, Paul, and be deeply grateful for the things about life that you taught me.
Good-bye....
