We’re grieving the sudden loss of a wonderful man.
My beloved father-in-law died yesterday in a car accident. He leaves behind his wife of almost 40 years, 3 children and 7 grandchildren.
He was a man of strong faith, quiet and gentle, and always there with a word of encouragement or a smile if you needed it.
He will be deeply, deeply missed, not only by his family and friends, but by his colleagues in academia, where he was well known for his work in the field of the psychology of conflict.
I’m really not sure why I’m posting this here, but if every loss diminishes us all, then we have all surely been diminished by his passing.
Can you recount his work in the field of the psychology of conflict? That sounds interesting. And I send my thoughts and condolences to you and your family.
He studied the effects of conflict on how people deal with problems, how conflict can become “normalised” and the barriers to reconciliation, using Northern Ireland as his field of study. He was a recognised authority in that field, and spoke at conflict resolution and reconciliation summits and conferences in places like Colombia, Israel, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the Balkans.
I know very little of the specifics of his work, but I know that he was always happy to travel anywhere he was asked to speak. He said that for so long nobody wanted to come to Northern Ireland, because they felt it was too dangerous, so he would go to wherever he was invited, so that they wouldn’t have to feel as isolated as he had felt in the past. Even a minor stroke 3 years ago didn’t stop him.
He and my mother-in-law were planning to go to Uganda next week for a trip to help with a charity programme looking after street children in Kampala. It would have been their third trip out, and demonstrates the kind of wonderfully giving man that he was.
We’re all still trying to take in what happened. The police investigation into the accident is ongoing, and we won’t know exactly what happened for some time.
I do appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.