Editor:
Thank you for publishing the obituary of Dana Coffield in your April 23 edition.
My husband and I had the honour of meeting Dana and his wife Denise whilst they were working for ARCO in Indonesia.
Dana had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the history of mountaineering. He drew inspiration from the early pioneers of Himalayan exploration, especially Eric Shipton with his revolutionary lightweight alpine approach to climbing and free-thinking approach to life.
I had been lucky enough to know Eric as a family friend and our mutual admiration of this great adventurer ignited our lifelong friendship with Dana and his family.
Later as our families grew Dana proved himself to be a tender and dedicated husband and father and loyal friend.
He loved his girls and the all the adventure that is family life.
Dana was truly inspirational. He was a man who lived his life with the unusual combination of kindness, decency and steely resolve.
He is sorely missed.
John and Bridget Amos,
Winchester, U.K.
