Bruce A. 'Dr. G' Gastineau

My dad's idea of heaven would have been lounging under the expanse of an old tree as it dabbled the sky above green. He'd surely have wanted the added comfort of a rich, brown beer or jammy red wine. A dog, content and cozying at his side, would have completed the picture. His were simple joys, simply enjoyed.

He was a son, a father, a grandfather, a husband, a brother, and a doctor. He'd been conveyed a few degrees that allowed him to put some "impressive" letters at the end of his name on his business stationery. He worked the 9 to 5 -- well, really quite more than that ... regrettably, at times, quite more than that! He insisted on family dinners every night. He grumbled about taxes. He fought the battle of the bulge in his middle years. He never could figure out how to put together lawn furniture. He would always tear up while watching mother superior in "The Sound of Music" sing "Climb Every Mountain."

He got the crazy idea to move an original log cabin to our property. He liked to share stories about the bodies he cut up at the morgue he worked at in his early 20s. He liked to tell Helen Keller jokes to his colleagues. He once dug the pit for a pig roast and after swore he'd never handle a shovel again --and he didn't. He often fell asleep in his chair in our living room, so, too, did my mother, beside him in her chair. The call and response of their snoring thundered through the rooms of our house.

A simple life, really, if you think about it filled with ordinary chaos, headaches and commitments. A span of years in which there was never enough time and too often too much time being exhausted or lost. But there was family and laughter, a few good dogs came along, too.

Visitation hours will be held at Hopkins and Rector Funeral Home, Greencastle, on Wednesday, May 17 from 4-8 pm. with funeral services to follow on Thursday, May 18 at 1 p.m. Please come and share some stories with his friends and family. Can't promise beer or wine, but laughter and the simple pleasure of connection, we can. Cheers.