Michael Vicars-Harris

Michael Vicars-Harris passed peacefully this weekend at the ripe old age of 98, surrounded by his family and loved ones. A kinder, gentler, more loyal and loving man would be hard to find, and those traits were strong enough to be passed down through generations, which will be his legacy.

He was born in Tanzania to a Brazilian mother and a British father, instilling in him a deep love of nature, and then was shipped off to the UK as a young boy, only to have to then survive the bombs of the Blitz. Upon finishing school, he then joined the Navy and learned to be an engineer, which would eventually lead to him eventually designing and developing cameras for the space shuttle.

After finishing his service he returned to Africa where, on a bit of wonderful luck, he fell in Love with Liz on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. They wed soon after, and then moved to Canada and then the US, adopting yours truly and my wonderful sister Diana, and built a wonderful life before tragedy took his beloved wife away at way too early an age.

Eventually he found Love again with Evelyn, picking up another 3 kids (Teresa, Stephan and Christine) in the bargain, and they embarked on a remarkable 52-year marriage and a 36-year retirement together, while grandchildren and great-grandchildren sprouted up around them. He enjoyed amazing health all the way through his mid-90s, which is something to be truly grateful for.

During his final week of a long and wonderful life, many of his caregivers would pop by to check in on him on their time off and want to have a moment with him, or to pray for him - many coming in early to see him, and some making the trip into work on their days off just to do so. There could be no better illustration of a life well-lived than that. Everyone who knew him will miss him.