Lost mine April of 1998 - he died of a broken heart after losing his wife of 57 years the year before to Alzheimer's. Words that describe my dad: faithful, committed, humble, determined, wise, loving, hard working, friendly, strong, optimistic, patriotic, and loyal. Things I remember about him: giving me buzz hair-cuts as a little boy with his clippers from the navy in WWII, his HUGE hands especially when I got caught doing something wrong, reading his bible every night, saying grace before every meal, taking his boys (all 6 of us) to church every Sunday, working in his garden til sunset, smoking his pipe, smoking his pipe on the pot with the door open, coming to see me play football even after having done the same for my 5 older brothers, seeing him adore and dote over my mother, how much he loved his 15 grand- kids, seeing him show his eternal love for my mother while she endured Alzheimer's and left this earth, and holding my hand on his chest as he took his last breath and feeling his last heart beat. I miss his wise counsel and guidance and regret that my kids never met the greatest dad ever.
@manhunter: ....I think your kids HAVE met the greatest dad ever........your words are touchingly beautiful and you probably don't even realize it.....obvious to me that your dad lives on in you.....and will live on in your own kids....thanks for that beautiful paragraph...have a perfect day today!
4951