My name is Bill Furlong. It is a sad time because we have lost our beloved Phil. On behalf of my family, I offer our condolences to Phil’s mother, sister Trish, his extended family and friends. It has been a great honour and privilege for our family (my parents, siblings, wife Betty, children and me) to have had Phil as a friend. Phil has been a close friend of mine for more than 40 years, since we first met in early high school (probably the first day of Grade 10), and now I’ll give you a brief explanation of why. As teenagers we lived only a few short blocks apart in downtown Burlington. We spent a lot of time together including a few school classes (Phil, unlike me, was usually in advanced math & science courses), stage crewing for school plays (including plays making it to the Sears Theatre Festival provincial finals), scuba training, camping and diving in Tobermory (we usually went in Phil’s parents’ car and it was freezing cold), working at part-time jobs (usually Phil got me hired), a summer touring (mostly walking) around England/Ireland/Wales when Phil carried a 70 lb. backpack while mine weighed only 50 lb., sharing a dorm room in LU residence (additional detail is not available) and downhill skiing in Thunder Bay (Phil was always having to wait for me to catch up). Phil made a trip south one February, to attend Betty & my wedding in Hamilton. He has taught our children (Robbie & Brian, when they were about 8 and 10 years old) to operate the controls of his tracked excavator for crushing old cars and shoot a rifle (22 caliber) at pop cans. Phil and I saw each other at least a few times each year, the last time was just a few months ago in mid-September. During the past year or so we spoke by phone once or twice a week. So, to make “a long story short” (a phrase borrowed from Phil’s repertoire of highly illustrative phrases), Phil was always an unpretentious, quiet, generous, kind, interesting, intelligent, entertaining and honest person with a great sense of humour. He had many reasons to complain but never did and taught us many valuable lessons about having the courage to live well. Phil was a fabulously loyal friend and we miss him. However, our sadness should be softened by three factors. First, because Phil is in a much more comfortable place than he has been during the past few months and he has certainly earned it. Second, because Phil would refuse our sadness for his situation and demand that we proceed bravely with our own lives. Third, Phil lives on in our hearts. Phil, cheers, and thanks for the pleasure of your company! ‘til we meet again …