We are gathered here for a very sad reason. To say goodbye to my dear father. And although a very sad occasion, one good thing to come out of it is that we appreciate even more those loved ones we have around us. I always thought when my Dad died and I wasn’t there, I would feel something the moment he went. But that morning he went, I slept well. I woke up early before 6am. And I just had this sense of well-being. That I was truly free. Now I believe it was my dad telling me he was happy he was free. Free from the shackles of old age which prevented him from being what he was - what we knew and loved about him – a strong, free-willed, generous, productive, fun loving and fiercely independent person. A couple of Steve’s friend’s from the cottage wanted to be here, but couldn’t, so I would like to pass on their messages. Barbie Luckovitch says: “I really wanted to be here because I loved Steve. When Maria and I were little girls Steve would take us fishing and waterskiing and built us a diving board. I was often over at this cottage and Steve always made me feel welcome. His kindness was even there after the tornado and he helped us with our new dock. If you ever asked him for help he was always there and he would always wave from the dock to us. Steve is going to be missed.” Victor Rudak sent this message: “I started tearing up again when I saw the photos of him at the cottage. It reminded me of all the times Steve would come over just to shoot the breeze or watch his favourite Ukrainian show on satellite. He was so kind and generous to me . At times he would bring me items that I missed having up here, such as homemade perogies, and smoked kobassa, and I would buy him a special blueberry pie to thank him. Man I miss him so much that it really hurts.” I’d like to say thank you – dyakuu – to all the kind-hearted giving people who helped put this event together. Father Hancharyk, Sonia and the ladies in the kitchen. And also to my dear family and friends for all their love and support. My parents, like a lot of you here, came to Canada with nothing. They soon found others in the same situation and they all helped each other get on their feet and do well in life. Look around - 60 years later you are still doing that. Our family is very small as you can see. However my father’s and my dear friends – YOU - have been our family to us. And my father – and we – love you very much. Vichnaya Pamyat