He ain't heavy, he's my brother
My brother was an incredible guy! When he said yes, you could absolutely count on it!
He was in his element when he was in his garage, surrounded by wood, crafting something special for the house or a friend. Whenever I visited, he'd excitedly show me his latest project or the masterpiece he just finished. For him, cutting wood wasn't just a quick task; it was all about precision and skill.
But before I dive into the end, let's start from the beginning. Even as a 4-year-old, I remember him always being busy, whether he was working in the garden or tinkering around. Whenever he felt like it, he'd pop me onto his BSA bicycle, and off we'd go, exploring our little village. Spending hours on that metal frame wasn't exactly comfortable, but despite the discomfort, I felt so safe with Danie.
In 1967, at just 19, he went to the army. During a holiday visit, I saw him shivering in the Potchefstroom winter. My parents' silent concern spoke volumes—they just wanted to hold him and warm him up.
He had a deep love for music and insisted I listen along, whether I wanted to or not. From that, my own intense love for music blossomed. We grew up in a home filled with classical tunes and opera visits. Even as a rock music fan, he embraced it all with joy.
One of the rare times I saw him cry was when he accidentally hit someone with his first car. The person ran across the road, and Danie couldn't avoid them. He made sure to visit them in the hospital until they were released. That was my brother's heart.
Once, he crafted a bow and arrow with a 6-inch nail at the front, aimed at a cardboard box, and let it fly. Well, it went through the box and into my left ankle! Mom wasn't thrilled, and Danie couldn't apologize enough. But hey, I got a toy helicopter for my troubles!
In 1975, Danie got married for the first time. He had this stunning blood-red car that he polished to perfection that day. He asked for all the keys to the storage area, which I handed over (except for one "lost" key). I made sure to stock up on extra toilet paper and white Shushine for tennis shoes. His friends and I spent an hour decorating the red car with white and wrapping it in toilet paper. I made sure to be far away when he came to collect the car for the honeymoon! Maybe that was my little payback for the bow and arrow incident.
He stood by me through my divorce, and I supported him through his. When I remarried, he took our wedding photos and did an absolutely professional job of it.
He remarried and found immense happiness. He had the freedom to be himself and adored Brenda, always including her in everything, just as it should be.
Despite facing multiple bouts of cancer and chemotherapy, he rem
ained ever positive when declared cancer-free, always sharing his testimony of God's healing grace.
Then leukemia crept in, leading to several stays in the isolation ward. Seeing him was a shock, as chemotherapy's effects were harsh, but he kept his spirits high.
For about a month, I couldn't visit him due to a throat infection, as his immune system needed protection.
I saw him two days before he passed away, and I wouldn't trade those 90 minutes for all the gold in the world. We shared stories, laughed, prayed, and said our goodbyes.
Please click on the link below
Boeta, you're still not too heavy. You'll be in my heart until we meet again.
I firmly believe that Danie and I were the originators of Dad jokes. Working together for about 20 years and travelling all over made for interesting observations of everything around us. The best (or worst part , depending how you look at it) of our travelling was when we wanted to get home after a week away. This meant travelling right through the darkest of nights or leaving extremely early. This led to telling, making up jokes, laughing until we could not see the road ahead through the tears.
Nobody else would ever be able to make sense of whatever joke we made, as this was simply a means to stay awake
Our name for Dad jokes though became "Three…
I'm going to comment on my own website with some incidents and stories about Danie:
As I was growing up and him and I were amongst friend or family, he love telling stories about me (no harm intended). He was 9 years older thatn I was and growing up in the household that we did, everyone helps and do what they are asked. Danie was old enough to change my nappy when I had a little/big accident, and he must have NOT liked this chore. At the age of about 5 and heim being 14 , he decided to make a bow and arrow (maybe pictured himself as Robin Hood, as young boys often do). The most dangerous part wa…