I wish I were able to let my dad share with you from the experiences of his life; it was long and full with many hardships, trials, joys and some horror thrown in. But he is no longer with us so I’ll share a few tidbits in tribute to my dad.

• he was born just before the Great Depression to a poor blended family, the second to the youngest of 13 children
• he quit school at age 14 to go to work to help support the family, he was a senior at the time
• in the course of his life he worked many different types of jobs: auto mechanic, chef, baker, race car driver, machinist among them
• enlisted in the war (WWII) as soon as he turned 18 and was captured and taken prisoner shortly after landing in Europe
• lived a life filled with pain and suffering
• like most men from his generation, he had a hard time sharing his feelings, even that he loved us – this changed in his later life, particularly after my mom died
• was VERY stubborn and self-reliant
• lived out his generous heart to those around him
• was a GREAT cook and really loved gadgets and gizmos!
• he was quite brilliant and very creative and artistic in a construction kind of way
• found golf when he was in his early 50s and it was a love to last the next 30 years!
• loved his family and was married for 49 years to my mom, not the easiest woman to live with – but he loved her very much

I’m sharing these things – just snippets really – of who he was. But the reality is that I hope much of his strength and generous spirit is alive in me.  I admired him greatly and miss him very dearly. Happy Father’s Day, Dad.