DOUDOU
(27/12/2007) - HENRY’S SPEECH
I will begin
by quoting from his medal citation:
"Always volunteering to set out at the head of
his comrades; In the course of the fighting at
Belle Fontaine (Belfort) on the 24/11/1944 he
advanced under the fire of two German machine
guns to deliver an order to an isolated
platoon"
That citation reflects his character.
His LOYALTY-
to family friends and all those who helped him
and worked for him.
His sense of
DUTY
- Duty always comes first.
His sense of
HUMOUR
- A sad man who hated sadness. Always the life
and soul of a party or of a group of friends.
A true comedian never gets hurtful.
His NOSTALGIA
- Yesterday was always nicer than yesterday
was, yesterday was invariably nicer than
today, and certainly better than tomorrow. He
loved the past.
His SENSE OF
JUSTICE - Almost intuitive, very
deep. Many who knew him would come to him as
an arbitrator in disputes. He would explain
the rights and wrongs of the case and his
advice was invariably accepted.
His COURAGE
- He would always stand up against prejudice
and injustice explaining and trying to
convince others whatever the cost.
His LOVE OF
EDUCATION - A Very good student,
always ready to rise to a challenge, to learn
news things, yet very modest and respectful of
others.
His "LOVES" - Cycling,
tennis, golf, history, politics, wines, art,
poetry, song and singing, and telling stories
about the past and above all Neuilly and
France.
His pet "HATREDS" -
Cold weather, drafts & Mitterrand!!!
He loved to
complain all the time.
Yet behind the
peppery exterior lay a quiet introspective and
very reserved human being. Maybe too silent
about his own pain, his regrets and his fears.
He was loved,
adored and by admired all his grand children.
All though we
always disagreed on details (Toi, mon petit, tu
n’est jamais d’accord!) I loved the fact that he
always thought with his own mind and was always
there in the moment of need, and I could dream
of no better or fairer ally!
I would like to
finish with Lara-Lynn’s words - “We used to see
him and love him as our grandfather and now we
just see all his qualities. But I miss seeing
him sitting in his house and giving me his
luminous smile”.
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