Pépère Houde

He is a kind, gentle man. I never thought those explicit words, because I am fortunate enough that I’ve only known kind, gentle family. He was always there to chat and share his wisdom. He taught us what he knew about plumbing or woodworking. He wasn’t afraid to laugh the big laugh, and make jokes.

I remember playing in the basement on the wooden rocking horses he made for us. I remember him bouncing me on his knee like I was riding a horse. I remember him playing ‘This little piggy’ and ‘Patta cake’. During the summer, we’d sit outside on the deck to chat about school what we did for fun. As I got older, we’d talk more about my life goals and what was needed to get there. “Start saving now!” he told me. So I did, and I put away 10% of my earnings into ‘Retirement’ savings. At 16! hahahahaha. I would eventually use that money for the down payment on my house. Merci Pépère.

You teach by example. It doesn’t matter if anybody says otherwise, you teach by example. He taught me, he taught us all, how to be a good person by his presence, care, and insight.

That’s only the impact on my life. His immeasurably positive impact on this world will ripple across generations.