Remembering a picture perfect Saturday afternoon on the beach in Santa Monica.  Ours was a lovely, intimate gathering at the water's edge. 

Loving tributes and touching good-byes were spoken as a lone surfer paddled into position to scatter the ashes of our dear friend in the Pacific waters of his choosing, in accordance with his final wishes. 


Steve Brodeur offered this reading from the sermon/poem "Death Is Nothing At All" by Henry Scott Holland... 



  

This is the poem Judie Stillman Brodeur wrote and read at the reception following the beach gathering...

To A Life Well Lived
(in memory of John Francis LeBaron Hebb, Jr. 1950-2015)

Clear arctic blue eyes
Animate your handsome face
Expressing surprise, disbelief, delight

Rugged and refined
Southern manners
Tousled hair
All part of your charm

Kelly green top siders
Special socks
Pocket dictionaries and wine guides
Collector of precise implements
Curious, eccentric

Connoisseur of nature
Lover of dogs
Teller of tales in the lilt you never lost

Food adventurer who knows no limit
Hungry for life and anything on my plate
Savoring each bite, each sip
From spotless stemware
A linen napkin at hand

The sun rises in Topanga
Strong coffee with pound cake
On the deck of the dome

Traveler on the road less traveled,
Always choosing the slower scenic route

Loyal friend, lover, brother, favorite uncle
This is the only time you left the party early
Instead of falling asleep on the couch,
Or at the table

Perhaps you have somewhere else to be
Another celebration, sumptuous feast, a walk on the beach
Or maybe you’re scouting the best table with the best view
For your best friends to gather and toast
To a life well lived.