thread about dads.

[mg357]

Dear S&W I thought i would start a thread about dads. So if you have a dad living or deceased and you would like to say something about him.

Please feel free to do so.

sincerely and respectfully mg357 a proud member of the S&W Forum.
p.s.

my dad is a very wonderful man and i am very grateful for all of the sacrifices that he has made all these years to provide for me and the other members of the family.

 

[Dominus_Lex]

My dad passed away just about two weeks ago (I just posted about a little issue he left me with), and I am still in the throw's of not wanting to accept the fact I have to assume his duties, as well as my own, well short of my 50th birthday.
My dad always pushed me to be a "better father than he had been" given he was a fine father, I always thought that strange. Only now that I have had some time in the game of being a dad do I see where I could have, and hopefully will do better in the future.

I also see that wanting my son's to be better fathers, is a natural part of the process. I am thankful he pushed the issue with me.

 

[jaykellogg]

My Dad raised four children to be honest hardworking adults. He treated my mother well. He taught me the value of a dollar (more than I can say about my children). He taught me to repair things myself rather than throwing them out.

Dad is still alive at 91. We lost Mom about two months ago and he misses her. Dad's short term memory is bad. I will be taking him to hunting camp in October and probably again in Nov-Dec.

 

[GKC]

My dad turned 91 this last May, and is in very good shape, especially for his age. He still drives, shops, and is very active. His hearing is worse now, and he had to get dentures (which he hates) but otherwise you wouldn't think he is anywhere close to his age. He had a heart attack at 60, and took it very seriously...he stopped drinking and smoking, and started exercising at the cardiac center three times a week, where he still goes to this day...although now it is mostly socializing with his buddies.

My dad worked hard all his life, and was (and still is) a very honest and responsible man. He served his country in the Navy during WWII and Korea. While he didn't have a formal education (he didn't finish high school...he had to work to help the family) he is one of the wisest men I have ever known. I love and respect him very, very much.

 

[NFrameFred]

These threads are like Father's Day observances at the church - if you're lucky like me to have been blessed with a wonderful father in your life it can be a good experience. But many folks do not have good memories of their fathers and many have no memories of a father - for those I do feel sorry. One of the main reasons our country is in the state it is in at the moment, I fear, but I'll shut up on that point lest I stray into forbidden territory discussion-wise.

But personally, though he was a typically flawed human being with his faults, he did the best he could all he life considering what he pulled himself up out of family-wise. A dedicated family man to his wife and sons, he worked himself into the grave long before I was ready to accept it. His mistakes were not out of malice or selfishness and the only people I can ever imagine not liking him would be those he refused to take crapola from. He didn't suffer fools gladly. Gone over six years now, the void his passing created will never be filled in this life. But I'll see him again.

 

[carpriver]

I lost my father in 2002 he was 73 years old. My father was also a very hard worker, It must have been the generation just coming out of the Great Depression. He was raised on a farm, he to quit school after the 9 th grade. He taught me to strong and independent, work hard, respect others, treat everyone with respect, and be honest. He did his best to take care of us. There were tough times growing up but we got through them as a family.He loved my mother and was good to her even when she was not so good to him and us (another story). He loved to fish and hunt but didn't get to do it as much as he would have liked. I remember his sense of humor and some of his saying. "It's colder than the soles of a well diggers shoes's. It raining like a cow peeping on a flat rock. "If common sense was gun powder he wouldn't have enough to blow his nose". My dad played favorites with his sons. His favorite was the son that was with him at the moment, he would take us for a ride in the beat up on pick up buy us a pop and snicker candy bar; they were always so good. He didn't tell us he loved us he showed us. I miss him.

 

[David LaPell]

Unfortunately I don't have too many good memories of my father, I last saw him when I was 9 years old, some twenty seven years ago after my parents split up. I do remember he was a cop and I do have some good memories though. My stepfather was a miserable *** who stole money from a lot of people in his business and why when he offered it I would not take it over, my name would be on it and I would not want something built on lies and fraud. He was also a womanizer who would shack up with any woman who would give him the chance, he's there with one now. Somehow he always ended up with women with money and when the money is gone, he splits. That's ok though, he's not someone I want to raise my son around. We never got along anyway, he didn't like guns or hunting, and he was a liberal to boot. I always looked up to my grandfather when I was growing up, but even as a young kid I was very independent, something most kids now have no idea about. I was on my own for long periods of time when I was 12 and 13 years old, taking care of the house while my mother was gone with my stepfather (he was an over the road truck driver then) and the only time I would talk to them was when they would call me every day or so. I never had any money so I would always mow lawns or collect bottles or whatever I needed to do, including an after school job in a high crime area unloading a warehouse ready to be torn down into trailers to be moved. I know that I use all that I have learned and hope that my son can actually get a better upbringing than I got. It wasn't the worse because I was so independent but he needs to have fun too. My grandfather though was where I learned the most and he has been gone since 1999.

 

[Road Rat]

Well most folks it seems have decent fathers. I didn't.

My father was raised by a man who had no schooling. Dad only completed the 5th grade and had to quit to help on the farm. My mother finished grade school……..a 6th grade education!!

Just poor dumb folks from Arkansas.

He didn't know anything about raising children….I think they were a by-product of his hobby.

He pretty much ignored my siblings and I unless we didn't do something he wanted done in the manner he wanted it done. Then he smacked our bottoms a few times to make his point.

I remember he took us swimming once. That was that.

He took me with him squirrel hunting once………I made too much noise walking on the leaves!

He split when I was about 12 and married some woman he met in a honky-tonk………..she was a real sweetheart.

Raising my four children I tried to do everything different than the old man……..mine are in their 40's and 50's now and at least they still speak to me! So maybe I did something correct.

Now, on with the show!!!!!!!

 

[RightArm]

My dad is good man who worked very hard to rise above the hand he was dealt. He put himself through college and built a career for himself. He expected this of me too, but I leaned more to the hands on aspects of life. I never met his dad, but I suspect I am much more like him than my own dad. I went to UT and should have gone on to law school, but it wasn't for me. I like to think my dad understood my decisions.
He's retired now and approaches golf like it's a full time job.
He survived poverty and went on to put 2 kids through UT.
He survived Vietnam as a 1st lieutenant and came back after a year, with a purple heart.
I think he'll be around for a good long time and I'm very happy to have the chance to get to know him better. I think he feels the same way about me.
I hope.

 

[johngalt]

My Dad is my best friend. He has always been there when I needed help, advice, or just to talk to. He has more common sense than any man I know.

He was sick last year, and I was very concerned that we were gong to lose him, fortunately he has recovered and is ok now. But it does make me realize that someday he will be gone, and I don't know what I will do when that day comes.

 

[gunblade]

Lost my Dad in 1976 to prostate cancer...he was only 57 years old. I still think about him every day. He was honest, hard working, provided well for us, and taught me the lessons I try to live by today.

 

[glowe]

I grew up on a farm in central Michigan that my father bought in 1942. Loved the country life growing up and my father taught me how to drive a tractor, hoe navy beans, mow the lawn, and most important - he taught me how to shoot and hunt. He was directly responsible for my interest in guns and gun collecting, spending way too much for S&Ws just for the fun of it!

He had a great life and passed away in 2000 at the age of 87. As said before, he taught me how to shoot, but as an old picture shows, he (on right) first taught me how to score. I was slightly younger in the picture (right edge at scoring table)

Every time I pick up a gun, I think of him.

 

[gtk]

My dad is 70. He was a 25 year career policeman in a super tough city for LEO's. He started out patrolling, finally wound up in CSI for a long time until he retired. Think Andy Griffith. My dad was the spitting image of a young Andy Taylor.

He worked the 3-11 shift as a cop, and another job 8-12, in order to provide extra for his family.

My dad was/is one of those people who could take a engine apart & put it back together one day. The next day he may be working on a heating/air unit. The next day he may be doing carpentry work. Then the next day on a tractor cutting corn silage. I honestly wish that I knew/understood half what what my dad has probably already forgotten!!!!

He was real tough on my & my bro while we were growing up, but I understand why now that I am a father myself. He has raised two successful children, who both have stable families. He installed very good morals & Christian values in us both.

I love my dad with all my heart, and I hate to see him age as much as he has in the last few years. I think I'll call him up right now

 

[Old 44 Guy]

My Dad passed in 1968, election day. That's the only time I never voted. He was 58 & had a stroke. He never hunted but liked to fish but wouldn't eat them. So I cleaned the fish & Mom & I ate them. I still miss him.Mom passed in 1999.And I miss her,too. Now am going to become a great grandfather sometime in Oct.

 

[sipowicz]

My dad turned 84 last month...I am so blessed to still have him around. He is the last of 5 brothers.

He's a retired NYPD Captain. As you can see from the name under his pic, he took off the "Di" and "io" from Gregor back in 54 to get on the job.....back then, the Irish ruled the dept....I have since put our family name back..

 

[wheelgun28]

My dad, wow I never really wrote anything like this before and I am almost not sure where to start or if I should. I could probably write a book if I could write...

My dad was a very smart person, probably a genius. He could learn and do anything (mechanics to calculus). He had a large personality and this made him a love hate kinda guy. Some folks still talk about my dad, good and bad. He never finished college things got in the way. If we add in career changes(mfg plant closure), a divorce from my mom, his life became more about "hard". Working hard and he played hard. Unfortunately for him working hard didnt mean making money, the work is its own reward dont worry about getting paid. Playing hard meant drinking, to much.

I think all of it stemmed from boredom.

I worked (more like servitude) with him in his small business for over fifteen years.

He was divorced (and remarried) from my mom for almost twenty years, yet was very upset when she passed unexpectedly. He passed four months later from complications due to cirrhosis, the booze caught up with him at 57 years old.

Nearly twelve years have passed, for me life has changed greatly. I think of my dad, for who he was, a good man with his weakness, as we all have being human. However I always have to think of what he could have been in different circumstances and the path not taken.

 

[JCS&W]

On Oct 18, my dad will have been gone 32 years. I still think of him nearly every day. I think of him nearly every day because, I have two of his Smiths right in front of me on my desk. My dad started me on my Smith addiction, and I thank him for it. He was a good, honest, hardworking, devoted family man. Retired at the age of 58, not because he wanted to, he had to. Oh, did I mention he had rehumatoid arthritis? He was confined to a wheel chair the last 10 years of his life. If you knew my dad, that condition was barely noticeable. Yeah, he was in a wheel chair, but you would have thought he was just resting after running a marathon. He never let his "inability" not disability keep him from doing anything. He grew up in the rual South, dropped out of school in the fourth grade, but was the smartest person I have ever met.

To those of you who did not have a dad, or had bad experiences with your dad, that pains me and I feel for you. My dad hated sports, but I was allstate in three sports. He often said, he would not go to the front yard to watch the Super Bowl, but he watched me play no matter how far away. Yep, I miss him. I just hope that my son feels about me the way I feel about my dad.

By the way, he would not believe the prices we pay for our Smiths! He bought a M49 three months before he died. He would have had it four months before he died, but he and the seller were arguing over $5. The seller finally gave in. Yeah, I really miss him.

 

[DeathGrip]

This is a great topic MG.

I'll have to say everyone her has made their point well and I think you have proven how well most her have been fortunate to have had a good father.

Mine is still here along with my Mom. I thank God every night for that.

Everybody knows my Dad. Everybody likes my Dad. That tells me what he's about.

 

[LazyKB]

Dad will have been gone ten years this coming December. Lord how I miss him. Dad wasn't rich or well educated yet he left me an inheritance that is immeasurable. He left me a work ethic that carried him through the great depression. A value for the truth from which he never wavered. A sense of fair play that never allowed him to take advantage of another. A likability that filled the funeral home to overflowing. A sense of humor that makes me laugh today. A tenderness toward children and animals. I wish I was half the man he was.

 

[Bill_inBouse]

My Father

Was born in 1923 to dirt poor Alabama farmers who had moved to the Red River area of Texas prior to his birth. Dad was one of 7 kids born to grandpa and grandma from the early 20's thought the 40's. The family moved along from Texas to California in the 40's. Stopping off in Arizona where an Aunt was born. Grandpa was a Pentecostal preacher and had Churches in Texas, Arizona, Washington, and California. Dad was know to get up and give a sermon every now and then.
In 1942(?) IIRC dad joined the Army at San Francisco CA, and entered WWII. He ended up in the Army Air Corps as a ground crew member servicing aircraft and doing other airfield duties. He was in North Africa for the end of the African campaign and Italy. He didn't speak a lot of his experiences during the war until late in his life. I always envied his flights in the WWII aircraft and his stories of being in Rome after the liberation. Dad was sent home shortly after being in Rome with neck injuries. Dad ended up in St. Louis Mo. where he met this, also dirt poor farm girl who ended up being my mother. Mom passed away in 1955 during child birth and Dad ended up with three boys and a newborn girl to take care of. Being an uneducated guy with maybe an eight grade education Dad worked at anything to keep his family together.
To him I own my love of country, belief in being a good citizen, and desire to be a better father and grandfather for my own son and grandson.
Thank you Dad, you were a better father than I was a son.