How do I even begin to describe my dad? I could stand up here for hours and tell thousands of stories about him, but they would not do justice to painting the picture of the man and father he was. There is no doubt that he loved my mother. Forty years of marriage has its growing pains as well as many happy times. My parents were a strong, solid example of love and companionship to my brothers and to me.
For my brother, Brian, Dad provided motivation. When Brian was reluctant, Dad pushed him to do things that he knew would be important in Brian’s life. Dad taught him to swim, ride a bike, and to drive a car among many other things. He gave Brian the confidence to play baseball as a child, and they attended Astros baseball games together for years. Brian is grateful for Dad’s role as teacher in his life.
Dad had an affinity for baseball. When we were children, we lived in a cul-de-sac, and the neighborhood boys would gather with my brothers to play baseball with Dad pitching. I often wanted to play with them. I remember my Dad stopping the entire game for his four-year-old Princess to prance up to home plate to take a swing at the ball. The neighborhood boys would all groan and roll their eyes when I lifted up that heavy bat. And after about five minutes of Dad pitching the ball to me very slowly underhanded, I would hit it and take my turn running the bases.
As the middle child, my brother, Chris, learned how to negotiate with my parents at an early age. Always interested in money and numbers, Chris would allow Dad to borrow money from his piggy bank in exchange for an IOU - with interest added. Chris was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes when he was 11 months old, and that was a very scary time for my parents, and perhaps it caused my Dad to cheer all-the-more for Chris. Indeed, my Dad was so very proud of everything that Chris accomplished: coping and living with diabetes, graduating from the University of Texas, and becoming a success in his field. Chris and his wife had the sacred blessing of being at Dad’s bedside the moment he died, and that is very special to my brother.
As the only girl and the baby of the family, I was showered with Dad’s love and affection. I was Daddy’s Girl, and I knew that I had a special place in his heart. My dad was a gentleman. He constantly complimented me – telling me that I was beautiful or looked pretty. I spent the last night with my dad in the hospital before he died. We had all been taking shifts to be with him, and I typically preferred to be with him on the weekend shift because it was easier for me due to my daughters and work. But for some reason, I felt the strong urge to be with him on Tuesday night, even though I anticipated not sleeping and having to work the following day. It was almost as if I knew that my time with my Daddy was coming to an end. Even when he was critically ill and in so much pain, he looked at me that night and said, “You are so beautiful!”
Krista and Chris began dating the same time that Jason and I started dating - nearly fifteen years ago. Dad treated Krista and Jason as if they were his own children. He introduced them to others as his daughter and son, and he loved both of them immensely. Dad, Krista and Jason played golf together at Paradise Island in the Bahamas this past summer – what a fun and memorable round in a gorgeous setting! Krista and Jason agree that Dad’s best quality was being an extraordinary grandfather. He adored all of our children, and his grand kids adored him right back. He smothered Savannah, Johannah, Grace, Evan and Madelyn with love.
Last night, we ate breakfast for dinner because it was Dad’s favorite meal. While we were eating, we eavesdropped on Evan and Grace as they discussed the fact that they will not see Pop again. Evan confidently told Grace, “Pop is in your heart.” Evan then pulled down his t-shirt to show her where his heart is and said sweetly, “And when you want to talk to him, you just lean down and say, ‘I love you Pop!’”
We all love you Dad…And like Evan, we are confident you will always be in our hearts.
