In Memory of
Douglas Barrett Ktterman
October 12, 1921- May 12, 1997
To follow are the words
spoken by the children of Douglas Barrett Kitterman at his memorial service in
the West courtyard columbarium of the Trinity-By-The-Cove Church on May 17,
1997.
On
Tuesday when Micol asked me where Grandpa was I told her Grandpa "esta en
el cielo." (He is in the sky.) She asked, "hay
una puerta?" (Is
there a door?) "Yes, God opened the door," I said.
The
power of his silence
His
grace
He
was non-judgmental
He
raised four great fishermen
He
loved crossword puzzles
He
would order a martini, extra dry, with a splash of Vermouth, and extra olives
He
taught us about the character of wine
He
was strict but gentle
When
a child was born he said "a job well done."
When
I had Micol, he sold, "get that child a father now"
He
gave us all the gift of travel and the understanding of other cultures
He
loved his underwear ironed
He
didn't like to take his shoes off at the beach
The
United States Marine Corps
He
would take apart his fishing reels and put them back together --just for fun
He
taught us how to play solitaire
He
was a good listener
He
was honest
He
gave us the freedom to be ourselves -- he always respected us
He
was becoming Oscar…
He
gave us a horse named "Prince” and a horse named "Amigo" and a
horse named "Colorado"
The
gift of a typewriter for college
Dinner
at Riverview Charlie's
Corning
to spend time with his family
He
"always told us how proud he was of us.”
He
had a serious presence
He
loved to play with jigsaw puzzles
He
organized his tackle box to the point where it was scary
He
would love to gather together with family and friends to enjoy good food and
wine and he wanted everyone to be happy
He
would clean a string of fish in New Hampshire with a smile on his face
Once
at the Boston airport he was standing at the baggage claim area smoking his
pipe and a woman asked him if he would mind putting it out and he said, "I
most certainly would."
He
respected the art of catching snook
He
loved fly fishing
He
loved smoking a "stogie” while fishing
The
memory of dinners at "La Palmera" in Buenos Aires and The Fish House
He
always said “order what you want,”
When
he answered mom he always said "yes, darl" or "yes, love,"
He
truly loved Mom,
He
taught us the art of fishing in Barlioche
We
would watch in wonder while he untangled a thousand fishing lines--- knot by knot
Sometimes
he would have us walk backwards throughout the house, holding on to the fishing
line until he would shout "stop!" Then he would slowly reel us back in.
In
New Hampshire he would untwist the fishing line while slowing rowing the boat
He
loved discussing
politics at the
dinner table… and he usually won the argument
Father
and son football games at the Ford Family party at our house in Buenos Aires
Lobster
dinners in New Hampshire
He
was noble
When
Dad spoke, people listened
The
experience of
the opera housein Buenos Aires
Shaking
hands with Henry Ford
Home
leave at the Essex House In New York City
The
Dearborn Inn and blueberry muffins
The
painful shots at the Ford Hospital
Boarding
the S.S. Argentina in New York with a
dog named Mike and a cat named
Midnight and taking three weeks to get to Buenos Aires
Visiting
estancias
Visiting
dealerships
Meeting
someone at the airport and calling him "Dodle" and Dad saying "Mr. Dodle"
He
was always on time
Dad
flying over the head of our horse Prince while showing us how to ride
The
memory of his white T-Bird with the red interior in Essex Fells, NJ
In
Argentina when he would come home late from work or return from a trip he would
go into the kitchen and fix himself a peanut butter, lettuce and mayonnaise
sandwich
Black
coffee. ALWAYS with a cup and a saucer and a spoon
The
click of his lighter in the morning
The
smell of his offer shave at the breakfast table
His
shiny head
Mom
sitting on his lap
Car
races
The
clinking of coins in his pockets
Kneading
feet
The
memory of spending a day with
him at the Ford plant in Pacheco
All
six of us fishing at the same
time from his boat
His
Swiss army knife
Knowing
him as a boss while working in his office
The
famous Monday night poker games in the music room
Poker
and fishing on the Tigre with Uli
Sharpening
knives
Carving
meat
Eating
the turkey drumstick
Numbered
and color-coded files
The
Spartans in Mexico
Sharpened
pencils
The
song “Downtown” by Petula Clark
on the radio while
driving on the
Alligator Alley
Flying
over hills and bumps in the car and Dad smiling as our stomachs fluttered
The
famous
"Kitterman" calves
His
smiling blue eyes
He
loved smoked salmon, oysters,
and shrimp cocktail
Bife de chorizo "a punto”
Going
away parties on the Moore McCormick ships
Handing
a stuffed pig to Abby when she was a baby and saying "here's a pig for a
pig."
The
memory of hearing "yes,
Mr.
Kitterman" at the Port Royal Beach Club
We
never saw him barefoot
Dad
wore a safari hat and shorts
Dad's
cars always had every feature available and were always clean
He
loved asados
He
loved fixing things and his shop
Christmas morning
tradition... Dad would hand out each gift one by one
Dad turned packing the
family car into an art
He took wonderful care of
his father
We
will always remember him saying, "stop kicking the back of my seat,” or "someone's foot is
on my seatbelt!"
Mom and Dad's 50th wedding
anniversary at the lodge
When you were freezing to
death he was sweating
He always carried a white
handkerchief, folded "just so"
When
he ate hot food --
the hotter the
better, he would wipe his brow with his handkerchief and smile
He was a great tipper
Gold Cross pens in his shirt pocket
Garters to hold up his socks
Kent cigarettes
His gold ring
Sunday night with Ed
Sullivan and all of us together
Dad will always be
"Senor Kitterman"
We will always be proud of
his proclaiming "Yo soy Argentino!"
(I am an Argentine!)
We
are here today because we loved Dad so much and because he loved Mom and all of
us so much and because, Mom, we want you to know how much we all love you and
always will.
As you and Dad threw
grandpa's ashes to the wind, we are placing Dad's ashes to ashes.
"No butter,
please."