I Miss My Dad
What April 20th Means To Me
On May 5, 2003, my Dad would have been 79 years old. However, on April 20, 2003 (Easter Sunday!!!), at the age of 78, my father was called home to the Lord. I will never forget my Dad for the many good points about him. Unfortunately, I didn't notice a lot of those things until after I moved away from my parents in 1998. I was always sort of closer to my aloof mother. After I moved out, my Dad was the go-to guy to help me fix things in my apartment, my Dad was always the person who tried to keep my mother, who was socially passive, in touch with all five of us siblings.
Growing up, I was the only son of my Dad's who bonded with him over sports and baseball catches. He attended all of my little league baseball games when I played. He couldn't always make it to the beginning, as many of my games started in the late afternoon before he was finished his shift at work. But every game he'd be there - walking up with his folding chair that he kept in the trunk of his car. And I know he loved it - he had to wait until his third son and last child to enjoy spectator sports!!!
I know my Dad did not have an easy life. After serving in World War II in Europe, he lost his father to pancreatic cancer at a relatively young age. Then he endured fifty-four years of marriage with a woman who, in my estimation, had a very unhealthy attitude about sexuality. I'm not saying Mom didn't have her reasons - but my Dad still had to endure that length of time with a woman who hardly ever put out. No wonder he was always checking the skirts out as we drove down the avenues!
😂😂😂
Dad also had to endure seeing his own mother with dementia and then Alzheimer's Disease, forget who her only son was. I know that had to be painful for him, as she lived with us to the end.
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Growing up, I was the only son of my Dad's who bonded with him over sports and baseball catches. He attended all of my little league baseball games when I played. He couldn't always make it to the beginning, as many of my games started in the late afternoon before he was finished his shift at work. But every game he'd be there - walking up with his folding chair that he kept in the trunk of his car. And I know he loved it - he had to wait until his third son and last child to enjoy spectator sports!!!
I know my Dad did not have an easy life. After serving in World War II in Europe, he lost his father to pancreatic cancer at a relatively young age. Then he endured fifty-four years of marriage with a woman who, in my estimation, had a very unhealthy attitude about sexuality. I'm not saying Mom didn't have her reasons - but my Dad still had to endure that length of time with a woman who hardly ever put out. No wonder he was always checking the skirts out as we drove down the avenues!
😂😂😂
Dad also had to endure seeing his own mother with dementia and then Alzheimer's Disease, forget who her only son was. I know that had to be painful for him, as she lived with us to the end.
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I will never forget my Dad's final five days on this earth. On April 15th, my wife had an OB appointment in the evening. My parents were going to babysit our not quite two year old daughter while we were out. Being a busy tax accountant, I had no sooner finished up, and my parents arrived for the evening. We grilled dinner for them before our appointment. My Dad gave "compliments to the chef" (me) for his burger. We sat and drank a beer (Yuengling of course) with our dinner and my Dad enjoyed watching the air traffic, which seemed to fly over our yard before making their final turn for the airport. My Dad said "you have a nice spot here".
On April 19th, we arranged to do the Easter Vigil Mass with my parents, since they would be doing Easter with my oldest sister and her brood, which was rather common actually. As you may or may not know, the Easter vigil mass is quite lengthy, containing as many as seven readings before moving on to the liturgy of the Eucharist. As we got to the church, my Dad stopped me getting out of the car to remove something from my suit coat. This was the kind of man he was. When we walked into church, the church felt very cold, as apparently the heating system wasn't working properly. I remember it feeling like a morgue in there and being worried for my elderly parents. At some point during the mass, our daughter became fidgety and I had to take her to the back to hold her and walk with her. When I returned, my Dad appeared to be asleep. I chuckled to myself, of course, as he had the reputation for doing that sort of thing. A few moments later, I looked back over at him, thinking that he appeared to not be breathing. At that precise moment, I heard the words from the reading to the effect that "The Lord will come like a thief in the night, and you will know not the day nor the hour...". It was as if a premonition had been planted in my head about my Dad's passing. My Dad's eyes appeared to roll in his head, as I thought "Please God, nooooo! Not here. Not now.". At that moment, he seemed to snap back and look at me. Whew!!!
The Mass ended quite late that night, and it was probably near 11 o'clock when we got back to my parents house. We were just dropping them off, as we had our infant daughter to get home. I said goodbye to my parents in the street, when my Dad realized he hadn't kissed my wife goodbye. I told him it was okay, but he made an extra effort to walk around the car to say goodbye to her!!!
The next morning at 5AM, my older brother called to inform us that Dad had passed away overnight. I had never felt such pain in my life as when that news was delivered. But I was ever so grateful for that week of memories made with my dear old Dad!!!
So here's to you, Dad!!! Life without you these last fourteen years has never been the same. You never got to meet our second child, Matthew - the first boy born in the family in twenty-five years. He was born less than six months after you passed. He's autistic, and not likely to carry on the family name, but you would love his love of planes and plane-making. Then there's Kevin, our sports enthusiast and soccer all-star. He also plays baseball, as does Dillon our last boy. I know you would thoroughly enjoy attending their games if you could. And rest assured, the family name will live on, dearest Dad! Love you and miss you!!! Tonight I will have a Yuengling Lager in your honor...[/center]
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56-60, M
