The best Dad in the world

My Dad died Friday April 24th. It was unexpected -- as much as the death of an 85 year old can be, I guess. Even though he had the stroke last March he really had been doing so much better and had even gotten back to his old chipper self.


He died at home, which can be a good thing for the person doing the dying, but not so much for the person who finds him hours after he died. It was absolutely the most horrifying moment of my life, and it's been hard to get it out of my mind. I try to tell myself that if my Dad had a choice in the matter I would have been the last person on earth he would have wanted to find him, but most people do not have a choice in where or how they die. Most people anyway.



So, I need to focus on how he lived, not the last moment of his life. And to help me with this I wanted to tell you all about him. While I may be a tad bit biased, I can say for sure that he was well respected and very much loved by this community. In the two plus weeks he has been gone I have been stopped in the grocery store by people I do not know who wanted to talk to me about him. I have received phone calls and letters from people who moved away who heard about Dad and wanted to honor him. Every single one of my cousins (and I have more than 35 cousins -- my Dad was one of 8, my Mom was one of 10), either in person, on the phone, or in a letter said that Dad was their favorite Uncle. And I know they were not just saying that -- it was the truth.



He proudly served his country for 20 years. He was part of the greatest generation and fought in WWII.
He worked another 23 years after retiring from the Army.
He was so proud to be a husband, father, and grandfather.


My parents stood by each other for 51 years. Through good and bad, rich and poor, sickness and health. It wasn't always easy for them, but they took their vows seriously.
He was devoted to my Mother as much on the last day of her life as he was on the first day of their marriage.

His heart was huge.
He was always calm, cool, never got rattled, never got angry.
He always saw the good in situations. He always looked for the silver lining.

He always had a smile on his face and joke at the ready.
He loved to hug and kiss the ladies, and they loved to be hugged and kissed by him.

He never said a bad word about anybody. He truly was the nicest person you could ever hope to meet.


He lit up a room when he walked into it. He really truly did.


He loved football, baseball, boxing.
He loved the Dallas Cowboys, Oklahoma Sooners, and the Baltimore Orioles.
He loved to garden and always grew tomatoes, corn, peppers, cucumbers, etc in the back yard.
He took pride in his lawn and one of his prized possessions was his John Deere tractor.


He was a farmer at heart, a soldier in spirit, and one of the kindest souls who ever walked the earth.


He received full military honors at his funeral and he would have been so proud.


They played Taps for him and it is absolutely the saddest sound in the world.


I am truly heartbroken, but it gives me great comfort to know he is now with Mom and other loved ones who have gone before. I can just picture him walking around Heaven, hand in hand with Mom, greeting friends and family -- kissing the girls, telling jokes, lighting up the room.


He is happy now.
He is with Mom.
He earned his reward.


I've tried to find a picture of him and me, preferably when I was little, but can't find the photo albums from the early years. I did find this picture taken at my brother's house Christmas of 1997. He's wearing a Santa hat my nephew gave him.

This picture was taken around late 2006 - right before my Mom died. I think it shows his serene, kind essence.
He was a great guy. And I'm not just saying that.


If you made it this far in the post -- thank you for taking the time to read about my sweet Dad.