Farewell Dad

This is what I have written for DeLoyd's life sketch. He wanted us to give him our memories of dad. It is long and there is SO MUCH more that I could put in. But DeLoyd can choose what fits best and use what he wants. I wanted to share it with you.

I don’t really know how to put into words a lifetime spent with the greatest father any child could have. When I think back on my own life, all of my most favorite memories include dad. I can still remember being really young, probably around 5, and we were all staying at Dad’s brother’s house for a visit. I was afraid that night, afraid of the dark, and afraid of staying somewhere other than my own home and I remember dad taking me into the bedroom and rocking me in the chair singing “Hush Little Baby”. I felt no fear then. I was safe. My daddy was with me and he was taking care of me, just like I always knew he would. When I think back on that experience now I have to chuckle because dad didn’t even sing the right words to the song. I didn’t know it then, and I laugh now because dad was like that. He was always singing different songs to his own tune and with his own, made up lyrics. You always knew the song he was trying to sing, and you’d smile because dad made it all his own.

When I was a kid dad would take me with him to the high school basketball games. I was pretty young and I think Todd and Chad were too little to go and that’s why he and I always went. I remember getting so excited to go because dad would let me wear my church shoes because they were slippery and he would pull me behind him on the icy roads the whole way to the high school. I didn’t even care about the basketball game itself. I just liked sliding on the icy roads and sitting with dad having popcorn and soda together. It’s funny how little things seemed grand just because dad was around.

Todd and Chad and I gave Dad a lot of grief during our teenage years. Mostly just harmless fun, but the thing is, even if dad was upset, he never got just all out mad. Dad never yelled. He never raised a hand to us. He always had a calmness to him that I loved. Except when someone made a bad bid on “The Price is Right” He’d often be heard shouting at the contestant something like “$1250? You bid $701 to cover the whole gamet, not $1250!”. And even that was all in fun and not out of any real anger. When my brothers sawed off the top of the car he had just bought them and painted it bright pink he didn’t yell. Nor did he scream when sweet Katie accidentally hit the gas instead of the breaks and drove the car through the house. It was like dad had this divine knowledge of how short life can be and of how a life spent in anger would be a waste.

Now that I’m older I have three of my own children. Dad was always there for them. My two oldest loved to have sleepovers at Papa Al’s and Grandma Teresa’s. And I know that Grandma and Grandpa loved having them there just as much as the kids loved being there. The very first time Kaylee slept over at Papa’s they were all sleeping on the hill outside in sleeping bags. Dad and Teresa and Kaylee were so excited for their adventure on the hill. The next day when I called to see how the sleepover went dad said “’Well, we started out on the hill and while everyone was asleep I started thinking of how easy it would be for a mountain lion to come down off that hill and take Kaylee away. I couldn’t sleep after that, so I woke everyone up and we went inside to bed”. That’s how dad was, his thoughts were always with his loved ones. Always.

I think Christmas is going to be one of the hardest times for both me and my children. Every Christmas since my first child was born dad came over bright and early on Christmas morning. Right when the kids woke up the first thing we’d do is call Papa and Grandma and have them come over so they could watch the kids open their presents. I’d always say “Are you sure you want to come over right when they wake up? They get out of bed around 4:30” Dad said he didn’t care how early the kids woke up, he wanted us to call him no matter what so he could see the magic in their eyes. The kids didn’t even mind waiting. They wanted Papa there. Every year he would say the same thing “Christmas is so magical when you have young kids to share it with” And he’d just sit there quietly with a smile on his face, that I’m sure he wasn’t even aware of, and watch his grand children enjoy Christmas.

Above all Dad was a family man, and he was always with us. Sometimes he’d just pop over to watch “The Price is Right” with me in the morning and we’d eat his famous bacon and egg sandwiches. Just like he was always there for us, he was always there for his grandkids. He would always come in my back door and put on a deep voice and say “Who’s in my house?!” and the kids would squeal with joy because they knew papa was here. Whenever Olly hears a diesel truck drive by his eyes get huge and he’d smile and say “Papa comin!” and he’d excitedly watch for the back door to open. Dad was so proud of Kaylee when she was baptised and when she had her ballet recital . He was always proud of everything my kids did. At the end of the school year he came to Jack’s play and he just smiled the whole time as Jack gave his lines and sang his songs dressed in his frog costume. Olly is my shyest one and dad loved to try to get him to crack a smile. Tickling always worked with Olly and dad was the best tickler. Kaylee said one of the favorite things she remembers about her Papa is when he would tickle her. He would tickle her and she’d shout “Don’t!” and then he’d laugh and keep tickling until she shouted “Stop!” then dad would always laugh and say “Don’t stop? Okay, I won’t stop!” and he’d tickle her more. He was famous for his tickling. Family made dad happy. Dad made us happy. I will miss my dad forever, every day, for the rest of my life…. But at least I know that he spent his life doing the things that made him happy; spending time with his kids, his grandkids, his brother, his nieces and nephews and friends. I love you dad, forever and ever and I will miss seeing you at my house and watching you tease my kids and watching you play with “Bosky”. Everything you did brought a smile to my face! I will keep you in my heart always and think of you and smile. I love you dad, thanks for taking care of me.