Jim Pattison, well known resident and former chairman of the St Francis Bay Ratepayers Association, passed away on March 11 after fighting cancer for 6 years.  Jim will be dearly missed by his wife Norma, sons Grant and Mark, family members and friends, but will be remembered for, amongst other things, his gentleness and kindness, love to learn and share, and a successful life.

Eulogy – James Michael Pattison – December 16, 1941 – March 11, 2011

James Michael Pattison.  Son of the late Jack and Marjorie.  Husband to Norma.  Father to Mark and Grant.  Brother to Lesley, Andrew and Jill.  Grand Father to Jodie and Hayley.  Uncle to Neil, Fiona, Gail, Lee, Dale, Shaun, Brad and Greg.

Jim Pattison

On behalf of Jim’s whole family, thank you for being here today.

Jim had been battling Cancer for six years.  He finally succumbed to septicemia, arising from the complication of surgery.

He fought hard and on several occasions we thought he might make it.  He died without pain.

He had reconciled with his mortality.  Those who spent time with him over the past few years will know he accepted his lot.  He was, by his own definition an “optimistic realist”.  This inner-peace he had found, fueled his bravery, and focused his mind on ensuring those around him were alright.  He never complained.

We can all only hope that when its our time to go, we can handle ourselves with such courage and dignity.

I would like to mention the Hopewells, whose home in PE often served as a base for us for his treatment, and to whom we are very grateful.

But although his end-of-life gave us insight into his strength of spirit, it did not define his life.

It is perhaps best to measure the quality of a life by the relationships that are built, and friends that are made.  The attendance here today bears testimony to that.  There are people who are here today, or have sent messages, from every period of Jim’s life.

Jim was born in Johannesburg but spent his early childhood in Pretoria.  As a teenager, he moved, with his parents, to Bulawayo where he completed his schooling.

He returned to Johannesburg to study his degree in Electrical Engineering at Wits, and like many of us at this time, began his adult life.

Here he formed his strongest lifetime relationships.  His mates included, amongst others, Mike Rademeyer, the Hopewells’, the Cornishs’ and the Lakes’, and if the stories are anything to go by, a good time was had by all.  Most importantly he met Norma and married her in 1965.

A wonderful story I heard the other day was that amongst their friends, Mom never lived down her faux pax, of when teased, excusing an in-room visit with Dad in Res, as “Jim and I were just studying Anatomy together…”

Jim and Norma then began their own Great Trek as they first moved to the Copperbelt in Zambia and then on to Asbestos mining in Matabeleland in Zimbabwe.  Jim completed his Engineering training and built a career at AA Mines in Bulawayo, where a highlight was to have built and commissioned the Asbestos Plant in Zvishavane.  He continued to rise through the ranks and despite an interlude in Johannesburg and Harare with SKF, ultimately achieved his life-long ambition of became Managing Director of AA mines.

Jim was an exceptional tennis player, albeit with a highly-strung temperament.  He won several tournaments.  He was particularly proud of his younger brother Andrew’s achievements on the international stage.

Tennis probably formed the backbone of his social life in Bulawayo where many more lifelong relationships were formed, including with the Purcells’, the Connollys’ and Clare Millson.

Jim’s final career move was to DeBeers in Johannesburg before retiring to St Francis Bay.

Jim had earned his retirement and settled down in St Francis bay, without completely driving Mom crazy.  As was his character he immediately got involved with the business of St Francis and served on the Rate Payers association, ultimately as Chairman for a while.

The friends he and Norma have made in St Francis are too numerous to mention, and form the majority of people here today.  In fact many of them are also friends from previous phases of his life.

I understand he is famous and admired in the village for his daily visits, where the conversations lasted much longer than the actual shopping.

Whether family or friend we all knew the same Jim.  He may have softened over the years but Jim was Jim.

He was sharp as a razor, and tenacious.  Nothing got past him.  If you inadvertently got your facts wrong, you would find out, in either a subsequent conversation, or by email with all the necessary research documentation attached.  He wasn’t interested in being right – he wanted to learn and share.

This was a trait he shared with his siblings, particularly his sisters Jill and Lesley.  If you got the three of them around the table it often sounded like an episode of Mastermind on the BBC.

Jim was also very kind and giving, particularly of his time.  He once responded to a request from his niece Gail, for assistance in studying Statistics.  He and I both stepped up to help, quickly realizing we could not remember a thing from Stats101.  I walked away, Dad got out his text book, spend a week restudying the subject, including doing all the tutorials, and went back a week later to explain it to Gail.  I recall she passed.

He was like that with everyone.  If you asked for help – you got it.

But there was a down-side.  If you unwittingly asked an open-ended question or wondered aloud on a topic, you were in for a long haul.  I watched with amusement as many an unsuspecting person found themselves in much deeper debates than they ever anticipated.  But you always learned something – as did he.

He was honorable.  There are many examples in his life where Jim chose to do what was right – not what was easy or quick, even to his own disadvantage.  He called a spade a spade, and I can’t recall him ever telling me a lie, or anyone else for that matter.

He was hard working and provided for his family.  History will record that he lived in strange times and places.  But despite living through the ravages of the post colonial transition he achieved what we all hope for – he gave his children more than he got, and made sure Mom was well looked after, even in their retirement.

As children and young men, he worked tirelessly with Mark and me to help to ensure that we succeeded at whatever we attempted, but took no credit when we did…..  and if we failed he stood by us.  We were never in doubt about how much he cared about us, and throughout our lives it was plain to see how distressing it was for him when we were going through tough times or challenges.  We will both miss his counsel and friendship.

He chose his life partner well.  We all admire your strength Mom and we know you will be fine.

His life was a success, something to be celebrated!