My Dad was the ultimate family man. He had other interests, but nothing mattered much to him besides family. I was the youngest of 4 daughters. I grew up somehow believing that I was as capable and smart as any man, that I could do anything I wanted to do if I was willing to work hard to achieve it, even be President of the U.S. if I wanted to do that. For a girl growing up in the 1960's, that was pretty remarkable.
My Dad taught me a lot.
He taught me to love to read. He always had newspaper and a book beside his chair, and was always reading. When I was a child, I went to the library weekly, and brought home a stack of books to read. When I was in the 5th and 6th grades, I read every biography that our school library had. I still love to read, and I know that I got that from my Dad.
My Dad taught me to be reasonable, to consider what I heard, to recognize that there were two sides to every story, and that what I heard on T V was never the whole truth.
My Dad taught me to be interested in the world around me. As a young teen, I watched the Democratic National Convention with him. In those days, the delegates voted at the convention and the nominee was actually decided there, not in primaries before the convention was held. It was exciting to watch the process as they voted time and again before they decided on a nominee. He enjoyed talking about politics, about the economy, and world events, but he never raged or ranted. He knew how to discuss without getting personal.
My Dad taught me commitment. He was married to my Mom for 73 years, and I know that some of those years were difficult. He was a member of the same church for 62 years, even though there were times he was not happy with some things there. He always kept his word. He did what he said he would do. He was a man we could count on.
His funeral was Monday, a great tribute to a man of integrity and dignity. Everything was planned and paid for years before. We just had to select the date and time. That was just like Daddy, always took care of everything for his family. Our son-in-law Doug spoke at the funeral. Although they had been members of a church for so long, there had been a number of Pastors come and go in recent years, so two years ago, my Dad asked Doug to do the service. It was perfect. Doug knew Daddy, and his words represented him well. Another son-in-law, Mike, sang. That was so appropriate, that family would do the funeral. We laughed when we saw the four songs he had selected. They were my mothers favorites, and we knew that she was the one who had picked them out. She even laughed when I told her that.
One very special part of the service was the military honors at the end. My Dad served in the Navy during WW2, so a flag was draped on the coffin, which was folded and given to my mother with great ceremony.
I am so very, very grateful. My Dad lived 95 years. He lived well. He served his country, loved his family, had a quiet, yet solid faith in the Lord Jesus, and died with no regrets.
