This memorial was created in honour of Alan Charles Smith of Mapleton, QLD.
Alan passed away in the arms of his wife Margaret after a prolonged battle with heart disease. He was loved and respected by all who knew him and will be dearly missed by his friends, family, and community.
Please leave a tribute below with your favourite memories of Alan. Click on LIFE and GALLERY to read and see more about the life of this wonderful and beloved man.
Picnic in the Park to Remember Alan
We are having a picnic in the Mapleton Lilyponds park off Delicia Rd at 10am on 13th April 2019, for those who would like to gather together to celebrate Alan's life. Please bring a plate to share, and something to sit on (we will also have some chairs available for those who need them).
UPDATE - Although the weather is overcast we don't anticipate a downpour. There will be marquees for cover. Please bring umbrellas as well. And in the event that the heavens decide to open upon us we will adjourn to the Mapleton Men's Shed at 52 Delicia Rd.
Tributes
Leave a tributeAl was a most popular member who other than being a skilled tradesman and mentor also had wonderful personal attributes of kindness, welcoming to one and all, always ready to hear someone's story and a wicked sense of humour.
Although not much older than me, I always thought of Al as cutting a father like figure at the Shed and is someone whose wisdom that I have personally sought on a few occasions.
The members of the Shed extend their deepest sympathy to Margaret and all the other members of the family.
Sincerely
John Brady
President"
Go in peace, Alan.
Hank
Leave a Tribute
My darling Husband
I’ll play your favourite pieces this week and leave out the ones I’m still struggling to master. Thankyou for your encouragement to keep practicing.
Tomorrow I’ll join your mates at the men’s shed for their Christmas celebration and sit in the spot where you frequently sat and now has a plaque with your name on it. I’m sure you will be remembered as they officially open the extension that you were a part of in it’s beginning.
Thankyou for loving me and being the best part of my life, and sharing our kids and grandkids Thankyou for leaving me in this wonderful, caring village. Thankyou for your daughter who is taking such good care of me, and our house and garden.
I think of you enjoying your freedom from earthly limitations, learning so much that is beyond our comprehension, and I long to be with you.
Love you forever.
Marg
The memorial poem and the marriage he wished for
It was my very great honour to MC the memorial for my grandfather, a man I have loved, respected and looked up to to my whole life. He was always a beautiful presence in my life. Sometimes the joker who would make me see the lighter side of life, sometimes the friend who I could confide in and seek guidance from but mostly the grandfather who I cherished for the steady and comforting energy I could always rely on.
In the week before his passing I visited him for the last time. In spending time with him there were two things I remember clearly. The first - he asked me if I liked poetry. Not unusual with my English teaching background I suppose. He confided that he used to love to write poetry in his younger days. Not for anyone in particular but just because he enjoyed it. This was the side of him that I knew of but was not always obvious. The enjoyment for creative passions and pursuits. Often opera and music but also poetry. To honour him at the memorial I read this poem which I think is so apt for his love of sailing. It's called Crossing the Bar.
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving /seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew/ from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight/ and evening bell,
And after that /the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho' /from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot /face to face
When I have crost the bar.
The second thing I clearly remember is his mention of my impending marriage to my partner of sixteen years. You see, with him so unwell we decided to postpone the wedding but I couldn't bring myself to tell him. I knew he would be displeased that his failing health would bring about such a delay. However, he had always put everyone else first and now I wanted to respect him and the families need to be with him.
He wanted to know if I thought anything would be different once we were married.
I scoffed.After sixteen years, I don't think so!
He laughed. Of course he thought it would change me, change us. That's one of the things I loved about him. His ability to challenge my thinking, make me think.
On the 6th of July I married my best friend and soul mate. Granddad told me on that final visit he was so pleased that we were getting married. That Jeffrey was such a good man. It broke my heart when he passed the following week and I didn't get to share the joy of our wedding. To honour his memory on our wedding day my husband carried the handkerchief he had when he married my grandmother. We remembered him when we were using it during the ceremony and it came in very handy when we both cried during our vows. Jeffrey paid tribute to his memory in his speech, an amazing man that we all felt so grateful to have had in our lives and how much we missed him.
Well my darling Grandfather, I hate to admit it but I think you were right. I was not prepared for the new depths of love and commitment I feel for this man that you gave your approval of. So wherever you are and when we meet again in this life or the next I wanted you to know, you were right!
Sentiments
Our mother was very much into poetry, and anything meaningful she would write it down. Found this years ago (probably written in her cookbook or a piece of paper from an exercise book) I wrote it down & have carried it in my purse for years & years. Came across it today & thought it very apt. Sums up our Mum & my brother.
I shall pass through this world but once,
any good thing I may do, or kindness show, to any human being, let me do it now,
for I shall not pass this way again.