The saga of inter-generational challenges between fathers and sons was noted as far back as the myths of ancient Greece. Freud, the 'father' of modern psychology offered that this conflict was central to the broader aspect of the development of one's personality.

Here in the new Millennium we have a number of commentators continuing to examine this phenomenon. Thomas Moore, the best-selling author of 'Care of the Soul' suggests that Western culture is ' suffering from collective fatherlessness', which he suggests is the source of many underlying problems. Luther Vandross' latest offering, '..Dance with My Father Again', speaks to a yearning to heal those relationships.

I have just ended a 54 year journey with my father, William Fubler. It evolved over those years from positive to negative and back to positive. While I 'll only be able to offer this snippet of his life, I'm reporting that aspect of his story that he shared with me over the past few years and which assisted in the healing of our relationship.

I share this in the hope that it might inspire others in this regard.

William Henry Fubler was the youngest son of Charles and Mary Fubler, born on August 26, 1916. His memory of his mother was sketchy, only recalling accompanying her as a pre-schooler as she pushed the youngest of the family, his sister Amy, through the narrow streets of Somerset. Tragedy hit the family when 'Bill' was six or seven, when his mother died.

Bill shared his sense of loss with me, over that death. He recalled the morning he woke to the fact that numerous family members and neighbours had converged on his family home. All he recalled was that he heard expressions of sadness over '.Mrs. Fubler's death'. He lamented the fact that no one really explained the situation to himself. He only recalls being continually urged to stay out of the house as the body was prepared for its quick burial.

In our last conversations my father mourned the fact that he could not even recall his mother's face. She had come to Bermuda from St. Kitt's to work in the homes of the British officers at Dockyard - some years ago while visiting that island, he had found out that she had originated from one of the Spanish-speaking territories, but never found out which one.

Bill and his three brothers, Walter, Rodney and Edward, were brought up by his father. His two sisters, Edith and Amy, went off to live with relatives. His father was a maintenance man in the Royal Naval Dockyard where his main job was to keep the sewage drains open. Charles had a second 'hustle' maintaining the graveyard on Boaz Island. Bill recalled how he and his brothers occasionally helped their father cut the grass around the graves, after school. This no doubt offered an interesting scenario; the single father, bringing up his four boys.

While this wasn't a take on Father Knows Best, Bill recalled that his father had them well organised. They all had their roles to play in the home; cooking, cleaning and washing the clothes. Neighbours ensured that Pa got his reports on what was happening on the home front. Aunt Eva, Pa's unmarried sister came by to assist once or so per week.

One thing that Pa Fubler made sure, was that his family attended church. Bill recalled that in the earlier years they attended the Salvation Army and his father was very involved in the music programme; playing the cornet, piano, organ, clarinet and guitar. He recalled being puzzled to find the family had changed to Gospel Hall, a church that did not believe in instrumental music. He did remember that his father played the organ for them when they held their outdoor meetings.

While the boys had to work hard, there was also fun time. Charles Rivers Rattery Fubler would spend hours playing one of his instruments for the neighbours and the boys. He taught Bill to play the guitar, while Walter played the accordion and Edward the bass.

Bill's first formal education was at a small school set up by Mrs. Portia Bean. He later attended 'Flat Top' - which consolidated all the smaller schools in the area - under the tutelage of Isaac Henries. He left school at about 13 or 14 and had intentions of becoming a cook. He worked in the kitchen of Maria Hills on Boaz Island, which was a co-op living quarters for some of the extensive overseas staff for Dockyard. Bill worked there for a couple of years, making 5 a.m. and he joked about the fact that it was an easy menu to learn. He ended up peeling potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He said that the heat from the brick-oven stoves changed his mind about becoming a cook.

He later gained employment in Dockyard as a messenger for the one of the foremen. He recalled how in his mid-teens, he would be dashing on his bicycle from Commissioners House down to the Somerset Village and back, carrying messages. This was around the time that he became involved in the Somerset Cricket Club and he credits Samuel Swan for getting his brother Edward (Chicken) and himself to join Allen Temple.

While he had left school relatively early, he was involved with a correspondence program of education which came out of Canada, as were a number of his peers. In his late teens he attended a hotel-training program in Hamilton and bussed tables at Hamilton Hotel. It was during this period that his involvement at Allen Temple took off under Rev. J. Daniel Smith. A youth group called the Sons of Allen became the focus of his social life and he eventually became its president when his was 18 or 19.

As he became more involved in the hotels, he pulled away from Somerset. He started living in the dorms as he worked his way through the Hamilton Hotel. It was while working there in his early 20s that he took his first trip abroad on the Queen of Bermuda to New York - the start of a long love of travel. Subsequently he began to work at Belmont Hotel where he eventually served as Captain of the Dining Room.

It was around this time that Bill began dating a young lady from Flatts, whom he had met through his involvement in the AME Church. They recalled travelling the long distance from Somerset on the train, taking his bike along. They eventually married some 62 years ago at Bethel AME, by Rev. Dr. J Daniel Smith, who had made an impact in his early life.

The new couple shared accommodation with Bill's oldest brother Walter (Bunny) and his wife Iona. Bill's first two sons Darrell and Vaughn were born there in the Bob's Valley homestead. As things became crowded, Bill purchased a home in North Shore, Pembroke where his youngest son, Glenn was born. It was after the birth of the third son that led Bill to look at a change of career as the hotel industry meant that he worked split shifts and was out to late hours. He took a job as a stock clerk in the Public Works Department at the Quarry where he served for almost 20 years.

While living in North Shore, he became active in Heard Chapel, serving on a number of its committees. He eventually began the long process of study to become a minister. It was by the early '70's that he was ordained along with his long time friend Ed Simons and others, by Bishop Bright. Bill served a brief stint as the minister of St. Luke's in St. David's. After that he took on the role of Assistant Minister at St. Paul AME, under Rev. White. It was around this time that he became active in the Reserve Constabulary and his work in the church led to him eventually serving as the Chaplain of that body for a number of years.

These changes led him to leave his job at the Quarry and take up employment at Standard Hardware where he worked for the next 20 or more years. However, his work with his church was his greatest passion, serving under seven Ministers at St. Paul; his main role was visiting the sick in their homes and the hospitals. In his later years he set the goal to try to record the history of the AME Church in Bermuda, a love that he links to the mentoring he received from J. Daniel Smith. That project had fallen on the wayside due to failing health over the last several years.

He died quietly in his sleep, at home, on the morning of July 24, 2003. Bill is survived by his wife, Lorraine; brother Rodney; sons Darrell, Vaughn and Glenn; Daughters'-in-law, Kathy and Deonn; brother-in-law, Gilbert Darrell; sisters-in-law Coralita and Roslyn Darrell, Sylvia Furbert; grandchildren, Troy, Jason, Nina, Mandela, Misha, and Naeemah; two great-grand-daughters and numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.