Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Condolences to Lees family. This is what he meant to me.
The first time I recall meeting Lee was around 16 years ago at a big birthday party at the Gorman Asal’s. I’d been hired as the bar tender and was serving up Cosmos and Lemon Drops. I served Lee many times at the bar that night, probably more than anyone else, and I might not have given him the best first impression. Stunned as I was at the ability to pack the drinks away, I asked him whether he really “needed” another. As it turned out, he did, and I knew not to ask that question again.
Throughout university, time spent at Lee’s was cherished. There was always a rum & coke or a G&T or a glass of red… Despite Lee almost never drinking any beer, he kept it in stock for the times when the boys would come over (no mean feat to keep a bar stocked for these boys).
The boys would come over for a game of crib, some of Lee’s homemade snacks, to watch a game, or just to meet up. We came back for conversation and the company. Lee was known to enjoy getting a rise out of people and needless to say he was pretty good at it. You could talk news or politics or literature or philosophy… but you’d best stick to what you knew around Lee, for what colourful language he had in store if you didn’t!
Over the years, I saw less of Lee. Far less than I’d have liked. The glory days of university were followed by busier times and distance followed by babies and pandemics. While I saw him less, he was no less in my thoughts. He was one of a handful of people I’ve know in my life that were like him. Not many people take the time and interest in young people that he took in us. His gift to us was the creation of a place that stands out in memory as one of community - chief bachelor! With decades between us, he became one of us.
So, here’s to Lee, one of those rare few who brings people together and creates a community. A man as generous as they come. Learned and unfiltered. He was a friend I won’t forget.
