My dad passed away yesterday morning, peacefully, in his sleep. I want to share with you some things about the man that always slayed the dragons for me, that taught me how to dance, walked me down the aisle, and was there for me always.
When I was little, I was a Daddy's girl. I loved it when he came home from work, I would sit on his knee, and in those moments he was my whole world. When my grandmother would come to visit, I made sure I was the center of his attention, much to her annoyance. Yeah, I was little and loud.
Bless his heart. He took me fishing, and we had some experiences! I cast, aiming for the water, and I ended up catching my dad in his back. I was also afraid of the fish, so when I did manage to catch something another time, it ended up back in the water because I couldn't bring myself to touch that flippy floppy fish after my dad took the hook out. It managed to flip his way back into the water. My dad had so much patience with me.
One story he loved to bring up was when we played catch. Now please keep in mind that I have absolutely no hand eye coordination whatsoever. He would throw the ball, I would watch it go by, and he ended up running to get it.
As I got older, and had Tyler, he came to the hospital with a red rose for me, and when he looked at Tyler, he said, "Cute little bugger isn't he?" Yup, that's my dad. He became a second father to Tyler. He loved taking him out to see his garden, and holding him on his lap after work and sharing his dinner with him. Another one of his favorite memories was when Tyler was just toddling around outside with him, and Tyler said, "Up the hill Pa, up the hill." He loved Tyler like he was his own child.
This is one of my favorite memories. My dad had just had surgery on his foot, but there was never a question about him walking me down the aisle on my wedding day. I was so nervous, and I told my dad that I couldn't do it. His response was, "Oh yes you can." and I did. I don't know what kind of pain he was in on that day, but he made sure that he danced with me.
There were all of the little things that he did that I'll miss. He loved to watch sunsets, feed the squirrels in the back yard, plant a garden, and he loved anything that involved nature. We took a vacation up the coast of Quebec, and that is still a favorite memory of ours. He would always check on us to make sure we were feeling okay, and to see how we were doing. He shared stories about working for the Department of Agriculture when he was young. I loved listening to all of my dads stories.
My dad was and is someone that I will love. He had so much to share if you were just willing to listen. He was so smart, and full of knowledge, and he found joy in the simple things of life: Camping, nature, cooking, and he loved to watch cooking shows.
Daddy, I love you, miss you, and God Be With You 'til We Meet Again.
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