July 29, 2020 Memorial to Sandy Mackenzie

The notice I received regarding Sandy's memorial:

A GATHERING IN HONOUR OF SANDY MACKENZIE

We hope that you will be able to join us on Saturday August 22, at any time between 3 and 6 PM , to celebrate the life of our dear friend, brother, brother-in-law, uncle and great-uncle, Sandy Mackenzie.

This will be a casual gathering, providing the opportunity to exchange stories about Sandy, renew old acquaintances, and meet others who were privileged to know Sandy. Light food and drinks will be served.

We will do our best to follow COVID 19 protocols. PLEASE RSVP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BUT IN ANY EVENT BEFORE JULY 30, to huntconstance01@gmail.com. Depending on the numbers, we may ask some people to arrive around 3 PM, and others around 4:30 PM. We will advise those who reply positively how many people are expected to attend. We anticipate that the venue will be the patio at Connie and Ron’s condo in Calgary’s Beltline (#250, 1001 13 Ave SW), and will hope for good weather so that we can socialize safely outside. 

If you are unable to attend, we welcome written messages that can be shared with everyone.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Ron Holdsworth and Connie Hunt

Vance Mackenzie and Kathy Scanlon

The email I wrote in response:

Dear Connie,

It is with a very heavy heart and tears in my eyes that I write this email.  Of course, I am unable to attend Sandy’s memorial.  The distance is too great and travel is next to impossible anyway at this time.  However, I am sending a message that you can read out at the event.

I hope you and Ron are well.  Sandy always kept me up to date on the two of you.  Now that he is gone, we will have to work harder at keeping in touch without him.

“Sandy was my dear friend for 50 years.  No matter where in the world either of us were, we always managed to get in touch every couple of months.  I miss him terribly.  His death was such a shock especially when he worked so hard at keeping himself in shape.  He is much missed.  I think of him every day.

Some random thoughts about Sandy:

• he always said irregardless instead of regardless
• he had this annoying but endearing habit of saying,"Do you know what I mean?"
• he had a fabulous afro of red hair in the 70s
• he became a real globe trotter.  He got the bug badly after he came to visit me in India in 1988.
• he stopped working and drinking somewhere around 1979
• he was a true friend; always keeping in touch and getting by any small disputes that can arise over 50 years
• we had great times together:
• at his parents house on Earl Grey Crescent in Calgary
• at Flora Carter's house in Calgary
• on an infamous camping trip to Lake Windemere
• in India
• in Sri Lanka just a few years ago
• in Vancouver when we both lived there
• on Vancouver Island on the rare occasion he would visit
• he loved duplicate bridge
• his first car was a rotary engine Mazda that backfired all the time.  We used to say the car was farting.
• he loved to hike and walk having done the Camino de Santiago several times
• he was colour blind.  I often went with him to pick out clothes so they would not clash.
• he would drive 20 miles just to save a nickle
• we smoked a lot of grass and hot knifed at lot of hash."

Love,

Julia

I am stunned not only by Sandy’s sudden death, but also by how much it has effected me.  I think of him every day and really miss him.