Remembering Uncle Lari Through Three Characters

THE MINISTRY OF ARTS / PEOPLE DEPT.

Three Februaries ago, the curtain fell on my father’s final act.

Notice my attempt at alliterating? Uncle Lari, which is how I called him, would have been tickled by it. He was a very unusual person. Even in moments when it should be the last thing on anyone’s mind, he’d be noticing one literary device or another. No matter what you needed to tell him, if you wrapped it in a clever double entendre, or display some verbal flair, you’d earn bonus points.

On 27 February 2022, Lari Williams MFR—actor, poet, wearer of hats both literal and metaphorical—left a stage he’d commanded for decades. To say he was ‘a character’ feels insufficient. Born in 1940, Uncle Lari was many characters, some of which he played on stage and on screen.

Just like him, my grief has also taken on different characters, wearing different hats, sometimes even taking centre stage. I remember him in unusual ways. Last year, grief channelled itself in a way I think he’d have wanted: whiskey in one hand, slice of cake in the other, John Coltrane and Duke Ellington sneaking into my ears from God knows where and putting me in a sentimental mood.