It’s with great sadness that I share that my dad passed away, on Father’s Day, at the age of 87. My dad has always been my hero, he was truly a good man, and a great father to me and my 3 siblings.
Everyone’s dad is the best, but please humor me as I try to honor my dad by bragging on him a bit. A plumber by trade, he had the mind of an engineer, and overall was very gifted and skilled mechanically. In terms of the trades and mechanics, he could do it all, and built our lake house with his own hands. Sad to think of all of his knowledge and ability will pass with him.
He was also an amazing athlete, with a fierce, but fun, competitive spirit. Fastest runner in his high school, a boxer as a young man, best ice skater on the rink (could have gone pro, but his mother wouldn’t allow him to go on the road), best water skier on the lake (truly awesome to watch), a top competitive horseback rider (how he met my mom), rode motorcycles and snowmobiles, and voted best dancer in his graduating class. One of his fun acts was walking on his hands, up and down the steps, down the dock and diving off the dock. Heck, he did that into his 60s. Ice skated until he was 80. And he was a tough guy, no one messed with him, or any of his brothers. With all this, he was a humble/quiet man, a man of few words. He was a real renaissance guy.
Most importantly, he was a constant source of strength to my mother and us kids. He and my mom were married 66 years. He worked so hard to support his family, and constantly was there to help his friends and neighbors. I swear, he lived to work, he never stopped. He was doing plumbing jobs right until the end. He loved everybody, and went out of his way to help people, and never, never wanted anything in return. So sad to think he’s gone from our world, but I know he’s in a better place.
My dad wasn’t a “gun guy.” However, he did introduce me to shooting. My uncle gave my dad the .22 bolt action training rifle that he took home from the Navy at the end of WWII. When I was little, my dad would sometimes bring that rifle along when we went to the dump. Me and my brother got very good at shooting those bottles, cans, and dump rats with that single shot .22! That was my dad’s only gun…. This said, he always admired my humble gun collection.
I know a lot of you have gone through the loss of your dad/parent, and my heart goes out to you on your loss. It’s a very sad, lonely, and disorienting feeling. I know my dad missed his father terribly, and I’ll miss my dad every day.
If you’re so inclined, please offer up a prayer for my dad, and my mom who’s trying to figure out how to go on without him. Thank you.
Everyone’s dad is the best, but please humor me as I try to honor my dad by bragging on him a bit. A plumber by trade, he had the mind of an engineer, and overall was very gifted and skilled mechanically. In terms of the trades and mechanics, he could do it all, and built our lake house with his own hands. Sad to think of all of his knowledge and ability will pass with him.
He was also an amazing athlete, with a fierce, but fun, competitive spirit. Fastest runner in his high school, a boxer as a young man, best ice skater on the rink (could have gone pro, but his mother wouldn’t allow him to go on the road), best water skier on the lake (truly awesome to watch), a top competitive horseback rider (how he met my mom), rode motorcycles and snowmobiles, and voted best dancer in his graduating class. One of his fun acts was walking on his hands, up and down the steps, down the dock and diving off the dock. Heck, he did that into his 60s. Ice skated until he was 80. And he was a tough guy, no one messed with him, or any of his brothers. With all this, he was a humble/quiet man, a man of few words. He was a real renaissance guy.
Most importantly, he was a constant source of strength to my mother and us kids. He and my mom were married 66 years. He worked so hard to support his family, and constantly was there to help his friends and neighbors. I swear, he lived to work, he never stopped. He was doing plumbing jobs right until the end. He loved everybody, and went out of his way to help people, and never, never wanted anything in return. So sad to think he’s gone from our world, but I know he’s in a better place.
My dad wasn’t a “gun guy.” However, he did introduce me to shooting. My uncle gave my dad the .22 bolt action training rifle that he took home from the Navy at the end of WWII. When I was little, my dad would sometimes bring that rifle along when we went to the dump. Me and my brother got very good at shooting those bottles, cans, and dump rats with that single shot .22! That was my dad’s only gun…. This said, he always admired my humble gun collection.
I know a lot of you have gone through the loss of your dad/parent, and my heart goes out to you on your loss. It’s a very sad, lonely, and disorienting feeling. I know my dad missed his father terribly, and I’ll miss my dad every day.
If you’re so inclined, please offer up a prayer for my dad, and my mom who’s trying to figure out how to go on without him. Thank you.
