WINTHROP -- It was partly a memorial gathering, but mostly a party, and David Dick wouldn't have had it any other way.

About 400 relatives, friends from as far away as Great Britain and co-workers from MaineGeneral Medical Center gathered on Highland Avenue Saturday afternoon to honor Dick, a New Zealand native, sports dad and professional nurse who died Aug. 28 in a tractor accident in Augusta.

Dick was remembered as a world traveler who once bicycled from England to Africa, a man who loved nursing and whose spirit of giving led him to volunteer in many ways, from mowing the lawn at the Pine Tree State Arboretum to driving youth sports team buses to fixing neighbors' lawn mowers and snowmobiles if they broke down.

Dick's father-in-law, Cliff West of Winthrop, who hosted the gathering with his wife, Pat, said he didn't know quite what to make of Dick in the early 1980s, when his daughter, Rebecca, called from New Zealand and said she wanted to get married. At the time, he had long hair, a beard, earrings.

The wedding was held in 1982, Becky and David Dick eventually moved to Winthrop, and West and his son-in-law hit if off. Over time, the bond between the two men grew strong.

"He just had a way of being friendly -- more than a son," West said. "I felt like I could talk to him differently. He taught me how to overlook the beard, the earrings. He made me a much better person."

Co-workers at MaineGeneral described him as dedicated but always fun on the job, a trait that buoyed colleagues and patients.

Judy Johnston, of Manchester, who worked as a dietitian with Dick at the hospital for 15 years, also was a patient of Dick's once when she broke her leg.

"He was always a lot of fun," she said. "He made work a lot of fun. He liked to make people blush."

Friends said Dick had an unforgettable New Zealand accent and a sense of humor that toed the line of political correctness but didn't cross it.

David and Becky Dick's love for travel -- they first met in Venice, Italy -- has been embraced by their children, Alanna and Jason. Alanna attends college in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Jason lives in New Zealand, where he's studying to be a master builder.

Jason, 21, said his father had two requirements for his kids: That they be active and play sports.

"He was the best guy ever to be around," Jason Dick said. "He was always there to help me out. As long as we signed up for sports, he was out there with us, throwing around whatever ball we needed him to."

Mick Coupe, a doctor from Manchester, Great Britain, worked with Dick at Ealing Hospital in West London for a year in the mid-1980s. Their friendship was a strong one, in part because Coupe and his wife were raising children the same age as Becky and David Dick's. Dick and Coupe saw each other a dozen times or so over the years. Coupe's children came to Maine and the Dicks taught them to ski.

Coupe flew to Maine from the United Kingdom last week to celebrate Dick's life.

"(Becky's) absolutely right," Coupe said. "Everybody loved David. Nobody had a bad word for him."

Long-time friend, racquetball and golfing partner Mike Burke of Winthrop recalled a trip he made to New Zealand with Dick a few years ago. During the trip, Dick visited his mother, Isabel, every day. His mother was Scottish, Burke explained, and the Scots have a custom of not saying farewell.

Dick's mother would not say good-bye to her son when their visits ended.

"That's how I feel about David," Burke said. "I'm never going to say farewell."