I am thankful for the gentle passing of my father, on November 10, 2014 at 2:10 in the afternoon. He was my hero as I was growing up, and although I never told him that I loved him I think he always knew that.
There was something about my Dad that people really like in a person. He grew up on a farm, worked hard all of his life, and taught me to do the best that I could at all times. Of course his way was always best, which made life difficult at times, but I don’t think it was about being better than anyone else, he was simply doing the best that he could.
As I was growing up my Dad seemed almost perfect and I wanted to be “just like him” in a lot of ways. He took me hunting even before I could carry a gun, and fishing even though I often snagged my line. He taught me to ride a bike, drive a car, run a boat, and fly a plane. I’ve often said that if I could have been half the pilot that he was, I would be one of the best pilots ever.
He let me hang out in the garage and watch what he was doing. He taught me how things work, how to build things, and how to fix things. I grew up with the confidence that there didn’t seem to be anything that my Dad couldn’t do, and do well.
After I left home I realized that my Dad wasn’t perfect and he wasn’t always the best example. He often called me a knucklehead while I was growing up, which always hurt my feelings; I learned to not call people names! He sometimes spanked me with a wooden hanger; I learned to deal with problems in a gentler manner! He was narrow-minded and opinionated; I learned to tolerate the ideas of others!
Many of you will recall that he wasn’t afraid to ask a high price when he sold you something, and he wasn’t afraid to tell you the price was too high if he wanted to buy something from you; I learned that money was not a good measure of value!
As an adult we didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, like politics, religion, or money, but somehow that didn’t stop him from being one of my hero’s. I will always remember him as a hard-nosed kind of guy, with a good side and a less than good side, but I will always remember him with respect and honor.
What I learned from my Dad, I condensed into my own personal mission statement, which is “To leave the world a better place than I found it, by being a positive influence to others, and by doing the best that I can in all things”. I think my Dad lived up to that mission statement too. He was certainly a positive influence on my life, and I expect the lives of many of you here today.
You’re still one of my hero’s Dad, I am grateful for what you shared with me, and I will always love you. But then, I’m sure you’ve always known that.
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