When he finally died the family's sadness was tempered with relief.
Then he pivoted and tempered his relief with a thought that offers an echo for our time.
The astonishing speed with which infrastructure has sprouted in the Chinese city inspires contradictory feelings in those of us based in slower-growing cities: envy that our governments can't build whole rapid transit systems in a matter of years, tempered by relief that they lack the authority necessary to do so.
"It has shown me the character in the squad to do that in a week with three away games at Hearts, Inverness and Dundee United on Saturday". McIntyre's pleasure at the result was tempered by relief that he finally got one over their Highland derby rivals at the fifth attempt since replacing Derek Adams as manager.
For Ainslie the sweetness of victory will be tempered with sheer relief.
Her slight unease at discovering an unopened packet of strange medication is tempered by her relief at finding that the lifeless man she thought she had married has been transformed into the passionate Mikey.
But it was a relief tempered by a growing sense of apprehension: night had fallen, mosquitoes the size of houseflies were buzzing around our heads and through the darkness we could sense the inquisitive, unfamiliar stares of the villagers who would be hosting us in their community for the next four days.
Arriving back to Jasper's well-trodden Icefields Parkway, (the highway that connects Jasper with Lake Louise) after conquering 50km of icy wilderness stirs ambivalent emotions among most skiers: tiredness mixed with relief tempered by a new appreciation for the natural world and how it can make you feel invigoratingly alive.
That relief was tempered, however, by other data on Thursday showing that employment in the services sector declined in April to its lowest level since December.
Unfortunately, however, his relief is tempered by the fact that five other police officers, outstanding men and women, and good friends, must continue to fight these baseless prosecutions".
But while Audriene and Beaudieu were relieved to be reunited with their family, for their father the relief was tempered by a sense of loss.
