As you age you become more conscious of the loss of friends old and new.
The most recent friend and mentor to slip beneath the waves was the unforgettable, Gary Tom, an 80 something year old man. I met Gary at Peter Gong's (Coast Salish Carver and mentor) studio, here in Mission. Like Peter, Gary's heritage was Indigenous and Chinese. Gary was one of those unsung ordinary Heros of daily life, a model to aging people he was always busy, amazingly active, always a smile on his face, a joke on his lips. He was so active you would meet him everywhere, in the parking lot, at the Safeway, the library, the cafe and he travelled on the bus, by car, bike and motorcycle. Gary was always planning what he was going to do next. He seemed to find pride in the very activity of work. Gary carried around the spirit of generosity, he was always willing to help me keep up what little Chinese I knew, and then wanted to top it up with some Korean he picked up on his last trip.
Gary kept the wood chopped and the heat on in the Carving studio, then one day someone mentioned an old tune that was popular in the fifties, and quick as a wink Gary pulled a guitar out from behind some boards and started playing and singing that song. It was a shocking surprise to see this old Chinese man rocking with the tunes, he knew all the chord changes and all the lyrics. The memory still leaves me in surprise. Later, I was to learn that one of his favourite activities was to play these nostalgic tunes in the old age homes around the city of Mission. Gary died in his sleep unexpectedly after a short illness. He was well known in Mission and will be missed by many.