Dear friends, family and loved ones
It is with great sadness that we all bid our beloved Douglas fairwell after his courageous battle with cancer. Douglas passed away late on Wednesday evening, the 20th of February.
His passing came as a great relief to those around him at the time and he died nestled in the arms of his mother, his brothers, Riana and of course Wilmien.
On Wednesday morning, Douglas asked to be helped to make him as comfortable as possible in order to help him make his passing. Many of his friends were able to come and say their fairwells. He spoke to his children in the way that a father in his position only could. Right to the end Douglas remained an absolute gentleman and still had his sharp wit and humour till the very end.
Douglas has left a legacy behind that all who knew him strive towards, and he lived his life in a manner that is unreachable by any words that could be spoken or written.
Douglas will be missed as a father, as a husband, as a son, as a brother but mostly he will be missed as a friend, as this he was to all who knew him.
Hamba Kahle our brother, son, husband, father and friend. There will not be a day that passes that you will not be in all our thoughts. We will love you forever and ever.
We will be celebrating Douglas' life at the Moeder Kerk in Stellenbosch on Thursday the 28th of February at 2pm and another service in Bloemfontein at the St. Andrews School Chapel on Friday the 7th of March at 3pm. A park bench in Douglas' memory will be put up in the Jonkershoek Valley in Stellenbosch by his friends and another will be placed at the Stellenbosch Golf Club by his golfing friends.
Thank you all for the support that Douglas received from all of you. He loved you all dearly!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
an incredible tribute to an incredible friend. thursday was a formidble send off which i am certain the Doogster would have been thrilled with. his presence was alive with us all and we certainly had him with us at the Akker for the last few hours. thanks Doog for bringing us all together in your honour. an unforgettable cathartic few days. we bid you farewell and you'll be in our hearts forever. love kirst and steve
Thinking of the whole Lederle clan from afar. It seems surreal to contemplate the trials, trauma and treachery of cancer in a young and vibrant man like Douglas, and reading his blog made me smile at his humour in the face of adversity.
I wish I'd known him better as an adult - but the fun and mischievenous of the Lederle clan growing up across the road from us in Cintsa is alive and well in my memory bank.
fond regards, best wishes and buckets of strength to his loving family and friends
Janice
Hey Doogs. Have not chatted in some time now and wanted to let you know a few things, that you already probably know........ Bush is not good and may be joining you in the spirit world soon, so it just made me think of you more!!!
I miss you boet, every day... Nash is now big and getting to be quite a handful, he has started telling fibs and his creativity in it is pleasing, but we are nipping it too. Hawken is so beautiful and such a loving nature. you would love him, mischievouss too... My golf is so KAK and has never quite got to the heights of when we payed together. it is not quite the same either. I have no-one to call to tell them about the 4 putt or the eagle chance or whatever, it is when I feel close to you though. Saw 2 Knysna Loeries and remember our units for seeing them.
Love and miss you always..............
Hey Doogs
Me again.
Jsut to let you know that i am missing you adn thinking about you.
We are doing great though and teh boys are awesome. you would laugh so much at them both, their michievious ways and their antics. We have at last bought a farm and it should be goign through soon. you would love it so much and it is bordering on national parks!!! how is that hey!!! We look forward to having Wil and Oliver and Ella there to enjoy nature.
Golf is not happening much and you would not be pleased at me being a 10!!! ha ha. would take your cash for that boet. But am getting back in to it though not frequently.
Have done some kiteboarding and very cheffed to have my stuff and ready to go as soon as teh easterly starts again.
I value your energy when I am need of the wild man, I envisage you there with me and I love it... Thank you
MISS YOU TONS BOET...
Love you and look
Hey Doogs
Have not chatted for some time now and I cant believe that it is 2014!!
I am great and in the biggest learning curve of my life. 2013 and 2012 were not my best, but I am sure that 2014 is going to rock, it has started that way already!!! yeee haaa!
Other things... family is great and I am loving my family and the legacy that we are producing with them. Vix is a legend and grafts flipping hard to get our boys sorted in all spheres, but battles with worrying about being too soft... I have dedicated this year to her and me to get us stronger and make sure we are the real Jesus bolt of the family.
jeesh and the boys are legends too, so different, you would laugh so much and Nash. He is a hooligan and yet very loving and caring, he is going to be a mighty man!! Hawken is also growing so much and as you know from before is such a lover boy, this morning whilst cuddling he giggled loudly whilst in deep sleep... Flipping hilarious. I love spending time with them knowing that they are learning from a great DAD.
I am not even going to speak about golf cos I have decided to get the practice pumping first and have not been playing, but that is OK, I have got some kiting in and you will be pleased that I am...
I have to admit boet is that I am getting very blasé about you and you not being here, so it is harder and harder to stay connected, so I am working on thinking about you and am making the case of connecting with Wil and the laaities more. We have been camping and to a show in Cape Town with Wil and I am really enjoying spending time with her. She is so cool and even though she is battling with Oliver is as you know a hard worker. She struggles and my heart goes out to her as it is not easy. but she does great with what she can... What a master.
So my brother, I invite you in to my mens group circle every time I am there and I welcome your energy all the time. I miss being able to call on your wisdom with so many things and that is the greatest my big brother. I often wonder what you would do in certain situations... It gives me strength!!! Thank you ...
Till later... I love you and miss you as always......
Ok my Doogle...
IT has been more than 5 years now and a helluva lot has happened.
Dad died this year, Wilmien has remarried, Lots of cousins having kids. And a lot of progress with us...
We had just bought Gouna and we have been here for 5 years now. It was a flippen hard journey to get to a place where it was home and goign smoothly, but it is an amazing place to live and raise the boys, It does nto come without its issues, Its hard ont eh cars, its taking the kids awasy from thier freinds. But it is worht it. My chipping has improved becaise if it and its a great place for Hawk to practice from. Next is goign to be a putting green and then I am hooing to be close to a scratch. I am down to a 4 now, the last tiem I wAS TEHRE YOU WERE STILL ALIVE AND i am playing the best gold of my life. ITs awesome. I miss you and think of you a lot when I play still.
This last week, my harnes broke, the one that you left to me. Thats now mearly 15 yearsl old. I guess its time...
I often think of you with the boys as you would love tehm so much! Nash is flippen clever and intelligent and way ahead of his age. And such a anti establishment sort of guy. He is goign to have a tough time with that, his expereinces are goign to be rich and deep, with big ups and heavy downs, but I am here for him. Hawk on the other hand is far more lteral and straigh forward and more into pleasing peole and being their freinds. He is flippine good at golf and cricket (tennis too) and I am hoping to get him on a strong springboard to bigger things, as longs as he loves it!!! The next thing on my agenda is to build a puttin green! but i s aid that already.
Vicci is battling with the responsibilities of juggling being a mom, trying to have a career and the frustration that goes with all of that. I do my nest to help where I can and it still is frustrating as hell. Anyway, she is a phenomenal mother and I love her for her huge effort. I just wish she would show here appreciation for me more... I need it.
I have started a new avenue of business that you woul be very proud of , being an entrepeneur and all. It is realatiely new, but may work relaly well. Lets see how it goes...
Anyway boet, I love and miss you a lot.
I didnt even mention that we are wrold champions again and that Johnny Clegg died... There is much to share in this , but the most imprtant is that I am good, I am creating a great life and living it well and hoping to leave a great legacy behind with my kids.
Stephen Marais has got in touch and I am going to see him in December. That will be interesting.
Till next time boet.
MUCH LOVE
Post a Comment