He loved telling stories; the most famous was the one about his rabbit and his cat playing together. They would greet him at the door everyday after school. The tragedy was that his mother ended up making a gourmet meal with his furry friend as the main course. We were lucky to have a Guedo with such a good sense of humour.
He was also fond of singing & an excellent singer himself, he would record Nicole and I singing songs from the sound of music. After every take, he'd say "Allah" and send the tape to his sister Teta Lenti.
1 didn't visit him nearly enough in the nursing home, but I hope he knows in his heart how much I love him. I miss his warm smile and his sense of humour but I know that ho is in a better place.
Now that he is looking down at us front up in Heaven, 1 realised that he can see me for the very first time. He heard my voice and felt my touch, but he had never seen my face. He sees all of us once again, some of us for the fist time! I hope and pray that he is happy and as he would ALWAYS say after each visit "God bless your heart". GUEDO, GOD BLESS YOUR HEART IN HEAVEN - WE LOVE YOU.

Cheryl

My grandfather, also known as "William B" an endearing term my mother used and "Gato", a term that stuck with me since childhood, died last Saturday afternoon.
The pain from his loss is felt by everyone in the family especially Teta.
However, my grieving for GATO began as I watched the slow deterioration of his mind, body, and soul in the nursing home.
I pray that he is in a better place and that he is no longer suffering.
Memories of my childhood and my GATO are beginning to replace the pain and sorrow. I would like to share a few of these memories with you.
Special occasions, such as Easter and Christmas were characterised by Gato's long drawn out prayers before every meal.
Picture the whole family seated around the table knife and fork in hand ready to place that first piece of succulent turkey in their mouths and there sits Gato at the head of the table still preceding with his sermon. Will it ever end?!
Despite Gato's blindness and his difficulty adjusting with his disability, I was in awe with his ability to manoeuvre around the city with his "trusty" white cane.
I have found memories of being his companion as a child as we travelled by TTC from point A to point B.
Although, he never accepted his blindness and always regretted the surgeries he had on his eyes, his ability to cope with his blindness was remarkable.
He taught me to be tolerant and respectful of people with disabilities.
Gato was also a great storyteller and I truly believe Pierre acquired this gift from him. One story sticks in my mind since Gato must have recited it to me I000 times.
It is somewhat distressing but it shows Gato's true passion and love of animals.
The story is about his one and only pet rabbit. Gato loved this rabbit a lot. This rabbit use to greet Gato at the door everyday when he arrived from school.
One day the rabbit didn't come to the door. He didn't question this event and proceeded to sit at the table to eat dinner. While eating the meat he found the taste peculiar and asked his mother what is was. He was horrified to find that his mother cooked the rabbit. As a result of this experience, rabbit was never served in our household.

I now want to end this on a happy note...

My last experience with Gato before he died truly touched my heart.
It was Gato's first and last encounter with Christiane, his first born great grandchild. Initially, I wasn't so sure that Gato realised that Christiane was his great grand child until Christiane walked up to Gato and gave him a high five. I will also cherish the smile on his face as his great grand child gave him that high five. I only regret that I didn't have my video camera with me so I could share this precious moment with the rest of the family.

Gato, I hope you now have that eternal life that you have always prayed for and that you are no longer suffering.

Carol

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