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EULOGY – GIL
FLORES
 Gil
Flores passed at Milton District Hospital (Ontario,
Canada) on Monday, August 31, 2009 at the age of 66.
His Funeral Mass was held at Sts. Peter & Paul Church,
Mississauga, on September 3, 2009
The following Eulogy was delivered by Aloysius Lobo at
the Funeral Mass.
Rev. Father, Loretta, Michelle, Neville, Karen,
Carlos, Ladies & Gentlemen,
I am privileged to say a few words about Gil, a loving
and devoted husband, a caring father, a loyal brother,
a respected congenial colleague and a warm lifelong
friend to hundreds of us who mourn his demise. We are
fortunate to have had Gil touch our lives with his
ready smile, his thoughtfulness, his kindness, his
compassionate concern, his humour and his genuine
humility.
There were no airs about Gil what you saw is what you
got. Two characteristics that identified him were his
radiant open smile, even when he was in great pain,
and his warm exuberant embrace. There was nothing
tentative or hesitant when he greeted you with his
arms wrapped around you in an honest to goodness hug
leaving you in no doubt of how pleased he was to see
you.
Gil was born in Vasco Da Gama Goa in 1942 – the
youngest of seven children. He completed his
baccalaureate and did his BSc. and MSc. in Agriculture
Poona, India before leaving for Uganda in 1968, to
join his brother and his family in Kampala. He worked
at the Kawanda Agricultural Research Station near
Kampala until September 1972 when, courtesy of the
late Idi Amin, he left Uganda for Canada. I remember
the day well as we left Africa together on the same
flight.
In Uganda, we developed a strong friendship. I came to
realize that although he was always a sensible, and
responsible young man with a well-developed sense of
humour, Gil had a dash of recklessness. If I may, I’ll
relate one incident that comes to mind. Gil’s sister,
Francisca, was on a visit to Africa from Goa and we
all drove to the Queen Elizabeth National Park on a
long weekend. After a full hot day of game watching
and the thrill of seeing a huge pride of tree-climbing
lions, we returned to the lodge for a swim before
dinner. I got into the pool and Gil dove in shortly
afterwards. I realized that Gil couldn’t swim when I
saw him flounder in mid pool gulping water. I got him
to the side of the pool and the others pulled him out.
Francisca, who screamed when she saw him jump in the
pool, rushed to him and she proceeded to have a
serious talk with him in Portuguese. I have no idea
what she said but Gil was rather subdued the rest of
the trip.
Shortly after arriving in Toronto, Gil started working
for the Ontario Government – first in the Ministry of
the Treasury and for a short while in the Ministry of
Health. Sometime in 1973 Gil met Loretta at a party.
Tell-tale sparks flew that evening and they both
realized that this could be the start of something
very beautiful. In the jargon of the day, they became
an item. They were married in 1974 and shortly
afterwards, with Loretta’s loving support and backing,
Gil enrolled as a fulltime mature student at the
University of Toronto and did his MSc. in Forestry and
PhD. (Doctor of Philosophy) in Plant Pathology.
Despite his heavy course load and research activities,
Gil helped Loretta at home with managing a growing
family. As a fully fledged accredited Doctor of Plant
Pathology, Gil moved with his family to Alberta –
first to Brooks and then to Vegreville, as a research
scientist.
In 1985, Gil was tapped by the Federal Government and
moved to Ottawa as an Evaluator of Pesticides for
Agriculture Canada. His dedication and research
integrity resulted in numerous promotions until he was
appointed a Director with Health Canada. He was
transferred to Health Canada’s research facility at
the University of Guelph in 2004 and retired in 2007.
Gil’s family and friends will always remember his
charisma and humour. At parties and family gatherings
he had an endless repertoire of jokes – a family
member commented that after a heavy substantial Goan
meal, Gil’s funny stories got everyone laughing so
hard it made them hungry again for more dessert! He
loved gardening – his flowers were his pride and joy.
He also enjoyed dabbling with exotic recipes when
Loretta let him into her kitchen. He was an avid
sports fan and loved watching soccer and hockey on the
big screen. His years in Ottawa made him a
card-carrying Senators fan.
Very shortly after his move to his new home in Milton,
Gil encountered symptoms of double vision and was
diagnosed as having Multiple Myeloma. The cancer
caused him great pain and this is when his unwavering
faith and strong character came to the fore. Gil was a
true fighter to the very end. He underwent many rare
and difficult procedures such as tumour resection on
the brain, stem cell transplants, orthopedic surgery
for bone lesions, experimental chemotherapy and
multiple radiation sessions. Loretta, Michelle, Karen
and Carlos did everything possible to keep Gil
comfortable and to look for cures, while still
maintaining as normal a life as possible. They never
gave up hope for a cure. Family members worldwide made
attempts to obtain Thalidomide – a drug unavailable in
Canada that was reputed to be effective on certain
cancers.
When I called or met him and asked how he felt, he was
always cheerful and candidly described his latest
round of treatments. There was always hope in his
voice and never did he display any fear of death. He
said that each day he woke up alive, was a blessing
and a bonus day to spend with his loving family. He
seldom complained about pain or discomfort. He trusted
God completely and from the time his cancer was first
diagnosed, God rewarded him with some 2000 bonus days
of life to be with his family. He was full of praise
for the oncology team that treated him over 5
cancer-ridden years. He was especially grateful to Dr.
Suzanne Trudel from Princess Margaret Hospital who he
described as heaven-sent to keep him alive to
celebrate Michelle and Neville’s wedding.
Gil has gone to a better life and we will all remember
him as a truly good person.
I will conclude with a poem by an unknown author
appropriately entitled:
‘I
am always with you.”
“When I am gone, release me, let me go.
You mustn't tie yourself to me with too many tears,
but be thankful we had so many good years.
I gave you my love, and you can only guess
how much you've given me in happiness.
I thank you for the love that you have shown,
but now it is time I traveled on alone.
So grieve for me a while, if grieve you must
Then let your grief be comforted by trust
that it is only for a while that we must part,
so treasure the memories within your heart.
I won't be far away for life goes on
and if you need me, call and I will come.
Though you can't see or touch me, I will be near
and if you listen with your heart, you'll hear
all my love around you soft and clear
And then, when you come this way alone,
I'll greet you with a smile and a "Welcome Home".
May Gil’s soul rest in peace. |
