[aprssig] Roger's Funeral

Tue Sep 21 10:02:32 EDT 2004

Darryl,

It is so good that  you were able to represent the worldwide APRS
community to Roger's family and other friends to show how much he
truely affected us all.  Your rich experiences with APRS and your
association with TAPR made you an excellent ambassador best able to
represent the power of Roger's efforts.  The entire APRS community
is thankful for your visit to Roger's family and your sharing the
experience with us.

Thanks again
Bob Bruninga, WB4APR

On Mon, 20 Sep 2004, Darryl Smith wrote:

> G'Day...
>
> I know a lot of people would have wanted to attend Roger's funeral but were
> unable to because of other commitments and the distances involved. In the
> normal scheme of things I would not have been able to attend the funeral,
> but I was able to thanks to the coincidence of spending a few days in the UK
> on the way to Rome for work.
>
> I took the train from London King's Cross up to Grantham, and was picked up
> by Ken Collins. Four of us went to lunch at a local pub having Lincolnshire
> sausages for lunch, and then prepared for the funeral. Ken went in the
> funeral cortège, where the rest of us went direct.
>
> Roger's service was due to start at about 3:20PM. The casket arrived about
> this time, and those gathered followed the family in. Enya's Shepard Moons
> was playing in the background when the people entered. Dee and the children
> sat in the front Row; and I think Roger's sister was in that row too. I was
> in the second row with Ken Collins and a woman who I was introduced to but
> cannot remember the name of. The rest of the congregation sat on the rows
> behind.
>
> I was given a special place in the service, at the family's request sitting
> in the second row. This was from people I had never spoken to, and for the
> funeral of a man I had never met. I was honored, and at felt at least
> partially unworthy.
>
> After an introduction, the congregation sang the hymn "The Day Thou Gravest
> Lord, Is Ended". This was not one that I knew so it was lucky that it was in
> the order of service.
>
> After this the funeral celebrant spoke about Roger's Life, history and
> loves. I learned a lot about Roger during this talk. How he was a sports
> fan, and much he loved his family. I also learned that roger having been
> born in 1947 was the same age as my own father.
>
> Then followed a poem Roger wrote at University called "The Death of
> Creativity" read by his son. After this Ken Collins gave a tribute to the
> family about some of the things that he had done and the impact he had in
> the Ham Radio community - and the world outside. This included a quote from
> Andrew Robb from here in Australia from the online condolence book. TAPR
> also got a mention.
>
> Following this was Roger's favorite song "Heaven (Candlelight Mix)" by DJ
> Sammy, either as a reflection or prayer depending on your beliefs. This was
> rather sad and stirring, bringing much of the congregation to tears.
>
> Following this song was the commitment, where the curtain was pulled around
> the coffin ready for cremation. At the end of the service everyone was
> invited back to the house, not the least to see the presentation of Roger's
> award. It was stated that I came all the way from Australia to present the
> award. Not quite, and this left me a bit embarrassed.
>
> The funeral celebrant said some more things, and then we were asked to leave
> out the side door. The music was the Theme from Ally McBeal. Roger loved
> Ally McBeal, not the least because it was set in Boston, USA, and Roger
> lived in Boston, UK.
>
> Following the service everyone went outside to see the flowers. This is a
> concept that I have never seen in Australia and is a nice touch. I also got
> to meet Dee and the family for the first time.
>
> [One other thing to note, the cemetery/crematorium I believe is on Marian
> Way, with Friar Way and Robin Hoods Way intersecting. Sherwood Ave and
> Sheriff Way are close by. For those that do not know the geography,
> Nottingham is only 30 miles away. And if you have no idea what I am talking
> about, do a search on Google for "Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham"]
>
> On getting to the house, we were all invited into the back garden. Everyone
> was given a glass and some wine. They actually ran out of wine but had
> non-alcoholic which really suited me since I do not drink. [I know, an
> Australian that does not drink... ]
>
> Dee and the two children were at one end of a huge circle. I then got to
> present the parchment and the plaque to Roger. I basically did what John
> Ackerman N8UR had done at the DCC, and read each out and presented each. And
> added some words of my own.
>
> Dee noted that in the last month and a half, that there had not been much
> that had brought light into Roger's life. One of the things that brought so
> much joy to him was the award. And I believe that the family got a lot from
> seeing his reaction to the recognition. They were all so happy that Roger
> had got some recognition. Everyone seemed to be impressed with the plaque.
>
> [They also got a lot from the APRS community too]
>
> Following this presentation, there were two others. The Tier 2 Sysops gave
> US$500 and the Core Sysops gave US$600. These were presented to each of the
> children, and they both noted that the money was being donated to 'The St
> Barnabas Hospice', a voluntary organization which cares for terminally ill
> patients. It worked out so well, with each of the three getting to receive a
> token from the community.
>
> I can now see the impact that the TAPR award had on Roger and his family.
> They kept thanking me for what I had done and for the award. And I kept
> needing to say no, it is me who needs to thank you for letting me
> participate and for supporting Roger with his work.
>
> What Roger had never told his family about was the impact of his software on
> the real world. Roger was a real sports fan, and had spent a lot of time
> attending sports events, and also a lot of time participating in sport. He
> loved cycling, and used to cycle next to his daughter whilst she ran.
>
> But he had never told them how his software had been used in the Sydney
> Olympics to support the cycling, and the marathons. Nor how it had been used
> in IronMan Hawaii where it was used to track for the cycling and the
> running. His son seemed really impressed when I let him know that I had the
> Sydney Olympics recorded in UI-View. [And I warned them to keep a lookout
> for an IronMan Polo Shirt I had sent in thanks for his assistance with
> IronMan]
>
> What I am going to do now is to get together all the bits and pieces I have
> on UI-View in the real world and will send the family a CD. This will
> include stuff on how UI-View was used in the Sydney Olympics and the like.
>
> After the presentation, one of the hams gave me a lift to Grantham station,
> although I would have loved to stay much longer at the house. But the offer
> of the ride was too good to ignore, and I arrived back in London about 8PM.
>
> Darryl
>
>
>
> ---------
> Darryl Smith, VK2TDS   POBox 169 Ingleburn NSW 2565 Australia
> Mobile Number 0412 929 634 [+61 4 12 929 634 International]
> www.radio-active.net.au\blog\ - www.radio-active.net.au\web\tracking
>
>
> ---------
> Darryl Smith, VK2TDS   POBox 169 Ingleburn NSW 2565 Australia
> Mobile Number 0412 929 634 [+61 4 12 929 634 International]
> www.radio-active.net.au\blog\ - www.radio-active.net.au\web\tracking
>
>
>
>
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de WB4APR at amsat.org, Bob

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