I have received a few emails from Jen and Richard, Owen's parents, and thought this should be shared with this forums and the community as a whole:
Quote:
Mimi, please tell everyone that we are overwhelmed with all the postings. Thom, Owen's brother, has put a 76 page PDF on our desktop and we have just been looking through them. There is no way, no way at all, that we can tell you all how much comfort this gives us.
This photo was taken last Saturday. We always get together for family events and it's the birthday of Owen's sister, Meg, next week. As she is about to have her first baby - and our first grandchild - due on 2nd November we thought we'd bring the celebration forward a little from the normal 'nearest weekend'. And then we heard a week or two beforehand that Patience now has her permanent visa so it was a double celebration. I took this as P and O were leaving after a really lovely, fun day. We were ten in all round the table.
We will forever be grateful for that day and this photo.
Thanks a million.
Love, Richard and Jen (Owen's parents)
Jen also thanked us for the thoughts in the card that I sent on behalf of the community. I realise now that I should have made a note of what I had written to share with you all, but my spirit was feeling sunken for thoughts of Patience, and Owen's parents, so I didn't think. In the card, though, I mentioned how much Owen was respected in the communities that he was active in, how many hundreds of people respected him within those communities, and how people looked on each other as more than just names and words but as friends. That, in a world of internet and digital communication people could find real friendship, and that just as Owen had found the love of his life online, so did he find many friends.
I also received a voice message to my mobile from Jen, which I didn't pick up until this morning as it keeps turning itself off, but she called to say how very, very grateful the family is to everyone who has given their thoughts and written such beautiful things about Owen. How it is such a wonderful comfort to know that people thought so well of him. Owen's parents wish to thanks everyone for their thoughts.
Patience has also said this in her own words a few posts up, but I know she has found great comfort in the thoughts and kindness of everyone who has posted, read or just acknowledged his passing in their own, small way.