Herald Yule - a eulogy
Jun. 14th, 2005 05:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cormacIn two days, they bury Herald Yule. He died after being broadsided by another vehicle.
Complete story here: http://www.bakersfield.com/local/story/5579754p-5549920c.html
I'd heard he had been hit about two hours before he died, then about 15 minutes afterward. Without knowing why, I went back to posts from March, about the Scottish Games. It seemed really important then, to point out the flaws in Hal, as well as his daughter, who now must surely be blaming herself for his death.
Despite all his flaws, Hal was a man you could respect. He had recovered from insurmountable odds, and knew his place in the world. He was content to run his shop, knowing that most days he'd only make one or two sales, and usually to people he knew. He was a man of principle. He loved his family, and he loved his heritage. He was the glue that held the Kern County Scottish Society together. He was a man I would at one point have been proud to call "father in law."
I eulogize Hal here because I will not be attending the funeral. The last time I was in contact with Hal and his daughter, Holly, we did not part amicably. In their hour of mourning, the last person the Yule family (or any of the Scottish Society) needs to see is me. If any of them read this, know that I will be with them in spirit. We have lost a great man.
I raise my glass to Herald Yule. Wha's like him?
Complete story here: http://www.bakersfield.com/local/story/5579754p-5549920c.html
I'd heard he had been hit about two hours before he died, then about 15 minutes afterward. Without knowing why, I went back to posts from March, about the Scottish Games. It seemed really important then, to point out the flaws in Hal, as well as his daughter, who now must surely be blaming herself for his death.
Despite all his flaws, Hal was a man you could respect. He had recovered from insurmountable odds, and knew his place in the world. He was content to run his shop, knowing that most days he'd only make one or two sales, and usually to people he knew. He was a man of principle. He loved his family, and he loved his heritage. He was the glue that held the Kern County Scottish Society together. He was a man I would at one point have been proud to call "father in law."
I eulogize Hal here because I will not be attending the funeral. The last time I was in contact with Hal and his daughter, Holly, we did not part amicably. In their hour of mourning, the last person the Yule family (or any of the Scottish Society) needs to see is me. If any of them read this, know that I will be with them in spirit. We have lost a great man.
I raise my glass to Herald Yule. Wha's like him?