Uncle Vincent was laid to rest yesterday at Trinity Methodist Church and I was honoured to deliver The Eulogy.
He was a fabulous gentleman and I trust my tribute below provides a glimpse of the impact he had on my life and that of so many others.
Tribute to Uncle Vince
I am honoured to be here this afternoon to express a few sentences about a truly great man; my Uncle Vince. If there are two things that always stood out about Uncle Vince it was his warm demeanour and fabulous sense of humour. Beyond these traits he lived a life of honour and integrity.
To emphasise his quick wit, on one of the occasions I visited him in hospital recently I happened to arrive at the same time as Aunt Shirley and Susan. They had to make a pit stop so I got to his room first.
He was obviously in pain but when I said they would be up shortly he immediately smiled and said; “You know Mr. Malone (Aunt Shirley’s father) always used to say, there isn’t a gas station that a Cadillac can pass, and there isn’t a bathroom that they can pass.”
I guess after 61 years of marriage he should know secrets about the love of his life that we don’t.
On a more serious note, I’ve never heard Uncle Vince speak ill of anyone. Not even me in my less than perfect youth.
Uncle Vince loved life. From hunting and fishing with his brothers-in-law, Fred Kanitsch and David Albury, among other friends, to bowling and playing softball. I am told he was skilled at them all, but he never boasted about his talents.
Uncle Vince often told of an “Ill fated trip to Abaco on the Taipan in 1968” with Fred Kanitsch.
The weather was so bad they should never have left Spanish Wells. But being intrepid boaters, off they went.
They ended up north of Green Turtle Cay, headed for Greenland, after mistaking Hope Town Lighthouse for the one at Hole In The Wall.
At one point they were so concerned for their lives they suited up with life preservers.
Running out of gas, a freighter sighted them and let them tie up. They were eventually rescued when Skip Roberts heard their May Day calls and Marcel Albury and my Dad set out to tow them back to Man-O-War. After refueling the boat they set off for Hope Town.
As the story goes these two best buddies endured this episode without incident for two days, but when they left for Hope Town they had the biggest argument over where a shoal called Lobster Rock was.
Arguing about that must have been their stress relief mechanism from their collective fear over the previous two days.
Some of my fondest memories are from the annual Boxing Day parties hosted by Uncle Vince and Aunt Shirley at their Skyline Drive home and the inevitable softball match between the adults and kids. I don’t recall the kids ever winning though. Maybe Uncle Vince’s fastball was a contributing factor?
Nor can I forget the guava tarts that Aunt Shirley laboured over for the gathering. Yummmm. I can almost taste one now. Did I mention all the other fabulous food?
But I digress.
Another talent Uncle Vince had was storytelling. This was quite handy given he was a lay preacher here at Trinity. In fact many of you might know he published a book with 50 of his sermons.
He was also a very proud Free Mason and contributed to a lot of good work through them. He advanced to a 31 degree Mason. No small feat it seems.
When Uncle Vince and Aunt Shirley moved to Abaco their bond with my parents and sisters grew even stronger.
I won’t forgive myself if I didn’t mention my Aunt Shirley a bit more thoroughly as she holds a special place in our family. She’s a pillar of strength for her family and equally as warm and kind as Uncle Vince.
We know first-hand how generous Uncle Vince and Aunt Shirley have been over the years, not only to strangers but to my mother whose later years would not have been as comfortable without their kindness and many visits.
When Joanne and I would travel to Mom in Abaco it was always a treat to go and see Uncle Vincent and Aunt Shirley even if only for 15 minutes. There were always great stories from them both along with making us feel so welcome and loved.
Incidentally, many of the traits exhibited by Uncle Vincent and Aunt Shirley live on in Laurence, Susan and Jonathon (Johnny).
Joanne, myself, and our family express our heartfelt condolences to you Aunt Shirley and the entire Higgs clan. Laurence and Monica and family, Susan and Mark and family and Johnny and Judy and family.
We also offer sincere condolences to Aunt Peggy, sister of Uncle Vincent.
We trust the wonderful memories you have of Uncle Vince will sustain you.
In closing I would like to paraphrase an anonymous quote I once heard:
Uncle Vince’s death leaves a heartache no one can heal, but his love over the years leaves a memory no one can steal.
