Gene Thompson died last week at the age of 59, with many tributes paid to him, as noted in the national newspaper of the Cayman Islands here. I worked first with his brother Kel from 1991 to 1993 at Cayman Airways, then joined the Thompson Group, where I worked closely with Kel, Gene, and their father Norberg (who died in 2006) for nearly two decades. I knew Gene well. He was a remarkable person and someone I had a great deal of respect for and who I cared for a lot.
I shall be flying to Cayman to attend his funeral as a mark of respect for him and as support to his family, including his big brother.
I believe in “taking endings seriously”. As I wrote about in this post:
In work and in life, we have many endings, yet we have too few rituals to honour endings. When we do honour endings, we often find it easier to do so with bubbly and positive energy, finding it far less comfortable to honour endings with rituals around sadness, grief, loss.
…in Cayman, I think of funerals…where I have been to quite a number, including sudden departures of dear friends gone far too soon. People from throughout the community attend, whether or not they know the person well. It is a mark of respect to them, to their family, to the whole community and culture. Once one arrives, the flow of the ritual is to first allow true sadness to be exposed and explored, including through the use of open caskets that can bring out often screaming catharsis. However, the mastery of the ritual, particularly when led by such loving masters as Pastor Randy von Kanel here in Cayman, is to shift from grief to celebration of life. To recognise a passage as something to be honoured in all ways, from deep sadness and loss to joy and happiness.
I look forward to being in Cayman for Gene’s funeral, to take this ending seriously, to grieve, and also to celebrate his remarkable life.