Eulogy for Bob Longmore

Eulogy given by Pat's Daughter in Jupiter Florida at the Memorial Service there.

Eulogy for Bob Longmore

I first met Bob in 1988. Mom was cavorting around the States setting up marketing mobs, selling whatever would move in the locale she found herself in. It was kind of exciting to have such an adventurous mom. Unfortunately, none of her kids seemed to develop this gypsy trait of hers.

Somehow, she and Stacey ended up in Denver Colorado, where they both found themselves husbands. This is where Bob comes into our picture. Who was this unknown man who caught our mothers eye and her heart? I’ll never forget the first time I met him. Cowboy boots, big silver belt buckle, and even a cowboy hat that he sometimes wore. Now, coming from Toronto, this is a bit unusual. Add the foreign Colorado accent, touched with a bit of a Maine flavour, well, he was really rather exotic and outlandish to us. What was a nice English girl doing with a country dude? She even started wearing cowboy boots and went out line dancing with him. 

Well, it only took one twinkle of his eye and we knew why she was so happy. I know I was immediately taken with his calm demeanor, and kind spirit. Of course, this was before we knew about that killer instinct unleashed when a deck of cards was in his hand - or any other game for that matter. Mom has mentioned his strong competitive nature, but his son Fred, provided more insight into this side of him. I am sure there are many of you here who can share stories around this side of his nature. Fred spoke of the endless tennis games he lost to his father and the injuries in said games that did not slow him down for a second. Then there were the card games, often accompanied by a slight wager here and there. I asked Fred if Bob ever lost a game to him even as a kid. Absolutely not, not ever. I don’t know much about Bob and his life before meeting Mom - I know it included raising 6 kids, the loss of his first wife, a career in the military and another career after that. But we are grateful for this earlier life that brought Bob into ours. I have one more story I can share with you.

Fred told us about how he and Bob were moving a dryer into the basement. Bob was on the bottom end and Fred at the top end. On about the second step, Bob lost his balance and fell all the way down. Fred looked down to see his dad lying on the floor. Bob told him to hold on to the dryer while he darted back up there. But unfortunately, Fred lost his grip and watched as the dryer end-over-ended itself until it broke it’s fall on top of Bob’s chest. Fred looked down in horror to see the dryer on top of his dad, with his four limbs splayed out underneath. He quickly rushed down the stairs to rescue him. Now they say one of the best measures of a person is how they well deal with adversity. Well, as Fred reached down to pull the dryer off of his father, Bob looked up at him and said, “Wimp”. Kind of gives you a sense of his character and his humour.

Unfortunately, we don’t have many stories about Bob within our own family because once Mom and Bob got together we hardly ever saw her again. It seems that the two of them enjoyed each other’s company so much they decided to retire and do all the things they always wanted to do. So instead of gallivanting all over the U.S. to work, mom settled down to a domestic life with Bob here in Florida. Mom got a house to decorate and Bob got a place to golf year round. How perfect is that!

But there is more. What dream life is complete without world travel? Here are some of the places Bob and Mom visited: England, Scandinavia, Europe (Germany), the Mediterranean (Italy, Greece), Turkey, Yala, Africa, Alaska, Hawaii, China, Hong Kong, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Australia and Russia. Bob’s previous military career enabled the two of them to travel to far off places where they would hop on cruise ships to see the world.

So when they weren’t taking in the glories of the globe they settled into a nice routine at home. Golf everyday for Bob, Garage Sales on the weekend for Mom. She would bring home all these treasures that often needed a bit or a lot of a helping hand. These finds gave Bob a second hobby. He could fix anything. And from what I have witnessed, he happily approached these projects. Luckily for me, they happened to visit right after had I moved and Bob installed all of my shelves, mirrors and anything else that required a drill. I think he even figured out how to put my Ikea bed together without any directions (I had been sleeping on a mattress on the floor since no one else could figure it out). I can honestly tell you it felt so good to ask for help and not hear any grumbling.

I think Bob was some kind of magic man. I witnessed my mother change her lifetime pattern of being late, to being punctual - if not early. This so goes contrary to her life before Bob. And further, her feelings for him inspired her to be home in time to make dinner because she loved to take care of him. I’m not saying that Mom didn’t cook or do domestic stuff before they met, but somehow with Bob she seemed to now enjoy doing this things for him. I never saw her happier.

A good life is made up of simple things, done with heart, of challenges attempted with gusto and adventures willingly embraced. I wish they had met sooner and that they might have had more time together. But the love and the life they shared is a testament to the power and joy of human spirit entwined.

Together they created the stuff that dreams are made of. And who can ask more of a life than that? Bob lived his life well and with integrity. We all have memories of Bob in our hearts. I hope we can spend some time this afternoon sharing these memories so that our hearts can join in honoring the gift of his life and spirit.


–Michi Evans