My Father, The World’s Greatest Daddy
The world lost one of the greatest father’s that has ever lived when my daddy passed away on January 28, 2022. I was truly blessed with having the world’s greatest father. A father that loved me more than anything, and was always there for me. A father that gave me such a great example of how to be a good man, a good husband for my wife, and a wonderful father for my two precious daughters. I have such special memories of my father all throughout my life.
My father was 6’ 2”, and a very husky strong man, but at the same time was a very gentle man. I remember as a kid always enjoying wrestling with my father. I would think that I was so strong being able to overpower my dad, put him in headlocks, and pin him to the ground -- never knowing that he could have effortlessly tossed me in the air.
My father always showed me a lot of affection, giving hugs all the time. I very much remember, sometime during my years of high school, that my father read an article regarding the relationship of sons and fathers in Europe where it was very common for fathers to give their older sons kisses as a healthy sign of their affection for their sons. Well, from that point on, my father began giving me kisses on the cheek all the time. I would always grimace when he would give me those kisses, acting like he was torturing me, however, truth be told, it meant a lot to me that my father loved me so much that he wanted to give his son kisses to let me know how much I meant to him, and I secretly always very much loved to get my father’s kisses.
I remember my dad, during my junior-high years, in the summer on Saturdays driving me and other team members on the tennis team to different matches all around the county. Then there was the time my dad chaperoned on a weekend school trip to Mexico, and I so much enjoyed having my father along for that adventure. A wonderful memory was the time that I was in a speech contest at school in the third grade, and I remember sitting on stage looking into the audience, very nervous, and then seeing my dad with my mom standing in the back of the room – my dad had taken time away from work in the afternoon to come watch me give my speech. He was always there for me, to support me, to encourage me, and to let me know how much I meant to him.
My dad was always the practical joker. I recall one time, I was home during the summer break from college, that I had gone to see a scary movie, and made the mistake of telling my dad I was going to see that particular movie during breakfast that morning. I had gotten home late that night, and when I walked into my dark bedroom and reached for the light, all of a sudden, as if from nowhere, this hand reached out and grabbed my hand. As my mother put it, I let out a scream that sounded like a dying animal. The light went on, and there was my dad, sitting on the floor right next to the light switch with the biggest smile on his face. What a special memory.
As a family, dad, mom, and I would enjoy playing cards to together all the time; however, mom and I were what could be called fanatics when it came to cards. Dad was always an early-to-bed and early-to-rise person, but mom and I would keep him up late into the night playing cards. He would so much want to go to bed, but he was such the good sport to stay up with us until we had had enough cards. Time with his family was everything to my dad, and nothing was more important to him, even when it meant being deprived of his sleep.
For most of my dad’s life, he was the epitome of health. At age 81, he was actually the strongest man in the gym, maxing out on most of the weight machines. The younger men in the gym idolized my dad. Unfortunately, at age 91, my father, still in great health and physical condition, had an unexpected stroke, which necessitated him being placed in a healthcare facility, and is where he spent the last four years of his life. We were able to find a wonderful residential-house healthcare facility, which provided full-time care, where dad had his own private room, including a very comfortable recliner where he could relax and watch his television. However, it was very tough and heartbreaking to see my once so strong and independent daddy be now so weak and dependent on others to take care of his needs. On many occasions, my dad would tell both my mother and I that when he died, we were not to mourn, but to get down on our knees and thank God for taking him home to be with the Lord in heaven for eternity. We were to be happy for my dad, and to look forward to the day when we would all be united together again in heaven. When my father passed, I tried to follow after my daddy’s words to me, but I still miss him so much.
It is very hard knowing that I can no longer see my father, and to talk with him. I try to always focus on how happy he is now in heaven, and to continually recall all of the wonderful memories I have of my dad throughout my life. I was truly blessed with the greatest father a son could ever have, and I will carry my father with me in my heart for the rest of my life. I hope to take my father’s example of being such a great father, and to carry on that tradition in being a wonderful father to my two precious daughters. And I hope that someday, when I pass from this world into eternity with my Lord, that my two little munchkins will have the same wonderful memories of me as I have of my father.
Dad, I love you so much. I will carry you with me for the rest of my life along with all of the precious memories I have of you.