Raymond RAFFERTY Obituary

Love you Dad xxx

Eulogy for My Father

Standing here today, I find it hard to know exactly what to say. My father´s passing has brought up many emotions, some clear, some complicated. Our relationship was not always traditional, and there were long stretches of time when we were apart. But no matter the distance, he was always my father.

My earliest memories of him are fragments-running down the hallway of our home in Konini Place, perhaps being a little too cheeky, as he chased after me. I remember having the mumps or chicken pox one year and watching from the window as he lit fireworks for Guy Fawkes. And there was a time when he was driving a bus and, much to my horror, ran over some ducks-memories that, while scattered, are still pieces of our story.

We reconnected when I was about 20, and it was surreal meeting him again, this time with my three younger half-brothers, who were just children themselves. Life, as it does, pulled us in different directions once more, and for a time, we drifted apart. But in my 30s, we found our way back to each other again, and from then on, we remained in touch. He shared some Christmases with us over the years, and though our bond was not always constant, it was there.

What I´ve come to realise is that relationships, especially those between parents and children, are never simple. They don´t always follow a straight path, but they are still meaningful. My father was not perfect-none of us are-but he was a part of my life, and today, I choose to honour that.

Dad, I hope you have found peace, and I will carry forward what I can-the lessons, the memories, and the knowledge that, no matter what, you were my father, and that will always mean something.