Cousin Rawd passed away yesterday. My mother writes,
Rawd died at noon today. He had been in the hospital palliative care unit since Thursday and Graeme had hoped to get him home Friday. He was so tired, Graeme said; he had no fight left in him. Graeme said it has been grim the past few months, with Rawd fighting so hard, and day by day failing. He was conscious and alert until the last few minutes. Graeme was with him.
Graeme and Rawd were the first gay couple to marry in my family. They are the most gentle, courteous and intelligent people; Rawd was a pillar of his profession in Saskatchewan; he fought the cancer with humour, wit and an abiding courage that has served as an example to the rest of us as we have been personally tested by this same scourge. I’m crying as I write this, because I have one luminous memory of Rawd; he came to Pride Day in Vancouver two years ago, and he was SO happy to be among friends and participating. Even then he was quite frail and ill, but I’ve never seen anyone so lit from within.
I hope that genealogy programs change to accommodate gay and lesbian marriages.
And today is All Souls.
