Barrel Strength

Notes for a eulogy, Monday April 21st, 2008, Smiths Falls, Ontario

Doug never needed one of these [a script] because Doug was always himself. He never pretended to be anything he wasn’t, and you always knew where you stood with him. In a very real sense, what he said was what he thought. What you saw was what you got. I’ll tell you what I saw 36 years when I arrived in Germany to work with Doug at the Forces radio station in Lahr. I saw a hippie. He had a full beard, hair down to his shoulders, and a leather cowboy hat. He even had a Volkswagen van. It was a pleasant surprise to learn that Doug the hippie was also Doug, the very serious professional broadcaster. He taught all of us a lot.

Doug was the best coach the Ottawa Senators never had. He would have made a great general manager too. When the phone rang after a particularly rough period of hockey, I always knew it was Douglas, but I never knew what he was going to say. It was always interesting and insightful. He knew the game of hockey. We weren’t happy about this season at all.

Doug was always after me to take up golf, and I always resisted. He was very patient with me, and he probably thought that if he waited long enough, it would happen. Well, at least one of us waited a little too long. I think it was me. I know I would have enjoyed it. I know I would have had lots and lots of free advice.

The only time he ever got a little boring was when I wanted to talk about my children because that was when he wanted to talk about his children. Karina and Harry, I know a lot more about you two than you think I do. He thought the world of you two. He loved you for your struggles and for your successes. We can all be happy that he saw both of you doing so well.

Things were going great for Doug lately and they were only going to get better. His enthusiasm for political causes and his broadcasting skill were starting to come together on the Internet. The interviews he did on his Web site, The Right Side, were beginning to attract a lot of attention. He was making a big contribution to a growing community. When I looked at some comments about him last week, I wasn’t surprised to see how sad and unhappy people were but I was surprised to see just how many there were and how much they counted on him to point the way. Doug came right out and said what a lot people think. He was a great source of information and inspiration to a lot of people. Just the archive of interviews he left us will be important in the years ahead.

Doug was a great friend to me. You never had to be on your guard with him. You could be yourself. He made people feel comfortable because he was sensitive and gentle and kind. Janice, nobody knows that better than you. I know that he looked to you for so much and he always got more. The two of you were complete and you will never be apart.