My
Father
On
behalf of my parent’s five children, their spouses, and twenty grandchildren, I would like to thank everyone for joining
us here today in celebration of a remarkable life and a remarkable man.
My
father’s life began far from where we sit, in an emerald green valley in South America. The oldest of six children, son of a larger than life figure, he was born
into a privileged, sprawling, ambitious clan.
Having
completed his extensive studies in Colombia, he was, as he would later
tell us, dispatched to America by his
father. Destination Philadelphia, to someplace called the Wharton School.
As
fate would have it, on the other side of the world, in a city on a mountain plateau in the middle of Spain,
a beautiful young woman was setting off on her own adventure to America.
Their paths would cross and become forever one in a classroom at the University
of Pennsylvania.
The
handsome Colombian and the beautiful Spaniard began a courtship that culminated in a transatlantic marriage proposal. My mother
summoned my father to Madrid, and shortly thereafter they were married, and set off together
to Colombia.
Overwhelmed
by hundreds of friends and family upon arriving at the airport in Medellin, my mother survived the initial wave of Restrepos,
carved out her own, outspoken niche in the family, and went about her new life on a third continent quite unlike North America
or Europe. Several years later, they returned to the States with three young children in tow and another new part of the world
to explore.
A
son of privilege, my father understood the good fortune he was born into. Rather than treat this as some sort of accomplishment,
he chose to focus his education, upbringing, and first rate intellect on helping to improve the lives of Latin
America’s largely impoverished people. In the great Jesuit tradition, he was truly a man for others. His
travels throughout the America’s
deeply informed his perspective on life, and imbued in him a humility and gratitude that was ever present. As his children,
we learned about the world while sitting down for dinner each night.
Where
had you been Dad?
Where
is that?
What
are the people like there?
What
are their lives like?
His
stories taught us that the world exists well beyond our immediate horizons. It taught us tolerance and gave us an appreciation
for our own good fortune.
His
friends came from all quarters, from the powerful and influential, to the young and insecure. People were drawn to him by
his unassuming way, empathy, irreverence and good humor. He reached out to people and was generous with his gifts. Throughout
his life, in both his personal and professional affairs, he consistently did what was right, what was good.
My
father’s life was not without obstacles. Through the love and support of my mother, the help of the medical community,
and the force of his own will, he overcame the sort of serious illness that derails many lives.
At
the end of the day, there was nothing my father took greater pride in than his family. He loved and cherished my mother deeply,
and considered his children his greatest gift to the world, the best way he knew to make the world a better place.
Your
presence here today is a tribute to my father, he would be truly humbled. Your thoughts, prayers and expressions of support
are greatly appreciated by my mother and our family. They have been and will continue to be a source of great comfort and
peace.
David
Restrepo
Wednesday,
February 1st, 2006
