To my old friends Peter, Carol and Jill -
It was with heartfelt sorrow that I read of the passing of your wonderful father, as I thought of him, your mother and each of you often over the years.
Your Dad was always somewhat of a hero to me.
When Peter first introduced me to him, I was twelve years old and from that minute onward, your Dad continually amazed me with the effort he made to treat me with a level of respect that most would only consider befitting for another adult.
He seemed to easily make time to talk about the issues of the day, he never missed the opportunity to wave back when we passed in traffic and later, when my career began in the Calgary core and we would frequently meet on a downtown street; your Dad always took the time to catch up on whatever trivial events may be going on in my life at the time.
Even years afterward, each time we would happen upon one another, in any setting, he would stop to say hello and we’d once again fill in the blanks since our last encounter.
In my book, he was the original "Cool Dude".
I admired him greatly and I extend my deepest condolence to all of you for your loss.
Barry Beatty
