My Grandfather, Colin MacGowan 1914-2007
Today’s post is supposed to be picture day but my grandfather passed away last Saturday. So I thought that I would combine a picture with a celebration of his life. I did not take this picture, but it is one I found as we were going through his house.
My grandfather was an amazing man. Cheating on his age, he went over to England for the Second World War, repairing and servicing aircraft for the RAF. He never talked much about the war as it was quite painful for him and he didn’t want to share much about it. He grew up on a farm in Nova Scotia as so many did, the son of Burpee and Alberta MacGowan. He would tell me many stories of working on the farm. He would tell these stories with a mixture of wistfulness and exasperation as he recollected all the orchards that he had to help maintain and pick apples from. He also recalled driving a car for the first time and driving into the ditch with a load. He was more worried about getting in trouble from his parents than what would happen with the load. After the war, he returned, as so many did, to find that jobs were not readily available. He borrowed money and built the second Volvo dealership in Canada. Grandpa’s character and integrity quickly helped to establish him and he was very popular. Indeed, as time went on, he sold and serviced so many cars that it seemed like the whole valley was greeting him as he went out to do chores or errands around town. He loved and was married to Joyce MacGowan for many years. Following her death, he reunited with his highschool sweetheart, Florance MacGowan, and they were married for many years sharing a loving relationship until she passed away this past spring. We were so happy when he was able to remarry as he was a man who thrived on relationships and was desperately lonely after the death of his first wife. In fact, we laugh now, but his routine during that time was to go to Burger King everyday for lunch. They knew him by name and always had his lunch ready for him. By the end of the summer, they knew us as well and had our lunches ready for us.
He was always caring, loving and kind. Depsite his battle with Alzeimer’s, he lived a wonderful life, full of strength, vitality and humour. One of my favorite memories of him is staying up late watching tv one day when I was visiting and him coming out of the bedroom. He never slept well and that night I guess he got up to get a drink and saw me watching tv. Anyway, he sat down and we watched an old movie with music and dancing (I think it was a Fred Astaire movie.) He was so amazed at the dancing. It was wonderful to see his face lighting up in amazement as the dancers climbed up and down staicase railings and around the rooms of the house. He remembered that for a long often mentioning to people who visited the amazing dance steps he had seen. I think he forgot that in his youth he was also supposed to have been a good dancer and a ladies man as the young people he hung out with went from dance to dance on the trains that connected the towns and villages of the valley.
I will miss him very much and will treasure my memories of him. He was my grandfather, a great man and I loved him very much. Thank you, Grandpa.
