Gary's Bucket List

Debbie Lybrand
May, 2010

For those of you that know, I lost my dear brother, Gary Browning, who died September 9, 2009. I have been on a mission to take his ashes to the places that were on his "bucket" list of where he wanted to travel before he died. He made it to Hawaii, Spain and Las Vegas, but he hoped to get to Kentucky, the mountains of Virginia in the fall of 2009 and spend a couple of weeks on my beloved Roatan in Honduras. He also wanted to return to Spain with Pep and go to the island of Ibiza. Unfortunately, his journey ended after returning to Norfolk, Virginia from Las Vegas, Nevada.

In late September, I was able to go to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and spread some of Gary's ashes under the changing color of the trees off Skyland Drive, a trip he loved to make each fall. Pep and I traveled together to Cynthiana, KY to drop some of Gary's ashes on the edge of the creek where we fished as children and on the cellar hill where we spent many days laughing and rolling downhill in the green scented grass.

Being on Roatan, I had planned to spread some of Gary's ashes here on a local beach on his birthday, which is May 8th. However, when Pep told me he was coming to Roatan for a week, I changed my thoughts and asked Pep, along with Tita Picou and Pansy Steele, from Gary's physician office in Virginia (who were all here visiting with Charles and I) to join me on Friday, April 30 at sunrise to spread a few of Gary's ashes and remember him. My dear friend, Kevin Hodgkiss also joined us.

We walked the beach just about 5:30 AM and stood in remembrance of this wonderful and caring man. As the moon was just overhead and a cruise sihp was passing by, the sun was rising in the east. Into the beautiful blue waters of the Caribbean, I tossed some of Gary's ashes and spread a few more along the rocky coast. Pansy, Pep and Tita also tossed some of Gary into the sea. As Pansy spread her ashes, a long plume of ashes flew away from her hand as the rest were tossed into the sea. It was extremely fitting as Pansy wrote the words below and recited them after we arrived at our spot on the beach.

For all who knew Gary and loved him, you will be as touched as I was with Pansy's sweet thoughts and words. I can't express how much this means to me and I hope you will enjoy it as I asked for Pansy's permission to post this to Gary's website and I thought many of you would appreciate reading her verses below. (I love you Pansy; thank you so much)

FLY AWAY
Dawn, awakens a new day
A beautiful soul will fly away
Fly away, dear Gary, fly away.

Though my heart is heavy
Yet filled with love
I stand here watching as you soar above

I'll no longer weep
That you're not here
Memories of you will always be near.

As the new day breaks
In just a short while
I close my eyes and see you smile.

I feel your warmth in the upcoming sun
Peace I can know
For your battle's been won.

This is the day you can go with the wind
Your travels aren't over
They're yet to begin.

I love you dear Gary,
Fly away.

COPYRIGHT 2010, Pansy Steele

I have saved a few ashes for Gary's birthday next week on Saturday where I will again say my remembrances of my brother and spread him in my flower garden here at the Roatan house so he will be with me. Pep will carry some of Gary's ashes to Ibiza and I have a small amount of his ashes left in the urn in Virginia and will at some point in the future travel to Antartica to place the remaining ashes there, to complete Gary's world travels so that he will have been on all of the seven continents.

Please remember Gary with me on Saturday, May 8, which would have been his 52nd birthday.