My beloved father, Edmund McCabe, has died.
Here is his obituary from the Toronto Star.
Here are the words I spoke at his funeral.
I’m Sarah McCabe, Ed McCabe’s daughter. My mother is Judith McCabe and my brother is Neal.
Father O’Dea asked me to say a few brief words of welcome, thanks, and reflection about my father before the funeral Mass.
On behalf of my family, aunts, uncle, and cousins who are also here, I welcome you to St. Edward’s Church and I thank you very much for coming today to remember my father.
Fundamentally, Ed McCabe was a really good guy. He was a loving and supportive husband and father, a civil engineer with integrity, a long-time community volunteer, and a quietly devout Catholic.
He had a positive, optimistic, and grateful attitude, a cheerful outlook on life, and a gentle sense of humour, which put people he met at ease. When I was little, he used to tell me I was his best daughter … until I figured out I was his only daughter.
He was strong and into his 80s he took pride in using his hand-pushed lawn mower at home.
We’ve had a lot of “What is the meaning of life” discussions, especially lately, after the passing of his brothers Earle and Alfred, and he told me that a successful life is one in which you leave the world better than you found it.
He did. I have enormous respect for him, and he’d have been honoured to see you here today. Welcome and thank you again for being here.
I’m not sure what happens next, but I know this is the way of things, and we’ll figure it out.* At the moment I’m heartbroken … and I’m very grateful for the privilege of having been his daughter.
* I keep hearing Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” in my head (over dramatic), but also “Pore Jud is Daid” from Oklahoma, which is my subconscious trying to make me smile (it works).