"You're Full Of Prunes"

This blog update is dedicated to my grandfather who passed away last night in White Rock hospital.

He left this world just as feisty as when he entered it, telling the nurses “he was fine to go home”. One nurse actually said that he was the most convincing patient she had ever seen and was amazed by his strong will considering the stage he was at.

Published in the Globe:
HOOPER, Chester M. - at White Rock, BC, Jan. 1, 2010; in his 89th year; formerly President of HLRA of BC; Vice[President of Seaway Multi-Corp and a long time employee of Abitibi Power & Paper Company; predeceased by son Douglas; survived his wife Jean; son Paul of Victoria B.C.; daughter-in-law Marianne (Etchell) and granddaughters Alison and Erica; a graduate of Queen's and Harvard Universities a lifetime member of the Human Resources Institute of Washington, DC; a member of the Harvard Clubs of Toronto and Vancouver; an active aircraft owner and pilot for many years; founder and first President of the Mooney Aircraft Club of Canada; a pioneer member of COPA and CAHS (Toronto Chapter); interred at the family sector of the West Korah Cemetary Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario this X day of X. In lieu of flowers, a donation to a charity of your choice would be appreciated.

I will always remember:

-Every year under the Christmas tree there would be the exact same shaped present from him to me; A bag of the Christmas coloured M&M’s

-That he was so happy I was starting to get interested in Law that he said if I applied and got accepted to Harvard (the university that he went to) that he would pay for my tuition. I was actually going to make a fake acceptance letter just to scare him.

-His relationship with the video camera. This Christmas he was in bed, which was probably the first time ever having a meal at their house and not being filmed. It used to drive me crazy: every Christmas, Birthday even just dinners either in restaurants or at home the camera would be up on its stand in the corner filming every move and then he would reply it all back to us later that night. I’m now grateful for those videos because I can go back and remember some good times with him that have long been forgotten.

-The staples of his diet- Grape Soda, Doritos, and Sour Patch Kids

-Whenever I told him about something exciting I had just done he would always say “you’re full of prunes”. He said that to me probably ever since I could talk maybe even before that.

-The fact that his grey hair was always perfectly combed and tidy.

-He would make these jokes about anything surrounding him and they were so bad you couldn’t not laugh.

-The tone in which he called me “Sweetie”.
December 7th 1920 -January 1st 2010

*You will be missed

Love Ali