February 3, 1987 was one of the worst days of my life. Three of the kids were in school and I was at home with just Emily when the phone rang. It was a friend of my parents, calling from Florida. He said he was calling to tell me that my dad had a heart attack while he was on the golf course with some friends. My first thought was "oh, no, he hates hospitals!" Then I asked if he was okay and the caller said "I'm sorry - he died!" That's about all I remember. The next few days dragged by - standing for hours as people walked by telling us what a wonderful man my father was. The thing that struck me most was how many men said that my dad was the best friend they had ever had. There were so many people that came to offer their sympathy, that rather than have two hour visitations, they stretched to 3 and 4 hours and just about ran into the next visitation time. Yes, he was an incredible man. Some day I will ask God why He took him at such a young age - only 59 years old. Now that I'm nearing that age, I realize just how young he really was - and he had SO much going for him. It's amazing how, 21 years later, people still say "oh, I knew your dad - what a great guy he was" or "he was the most generous man I ever met"! Yes, he impacted many, many people and we miss him terribly. 
Big Red and Little Red
Grandpa making Emily laugh
Please be sure to tell those that you love, just how much you do love them, because you never know how much longer you will have them.
In Memory of My Dad
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
We can remember that day very vividly as well. It was a very sad day in our family. We are sad that our children never knew that Grandpa. They would have loved him.
Thanks for the tribute, Marva.
Beckie
Aunt Larvi, I, too, remember that day. (I was in reading class when Mom came to school and got me.) I also remember the thousands (so it seemed) of people at the funeral home and funeral. I cried and cried at the funeral. I miss him all the time and wish that Ben could have known him....even for a minute so that he could fully understand me when I talk about what a wonderful person he was. I miss him. Today and so often.
Been thinking alot about dad the past few days too. Thanks for sharing the feelings and love we all have for dad. Never knew one man could have so many "best friends"! We heard that over and over again.
I wish that John could have known dad. It's amazing how many people he knows that knew dad and have told him many stories!
As young as my girls were at the time, they all have their memories of Grandpa, especially memories from the cottage. Seems that's where he really relaxed and enjoyed spending time with his grandkids.
I miss him every day. Can't believe it's been 21 years.
Nice tribute to Dad, Marva. I haven't check your blog in a while, so it was nice to find your memories and comments. Dad was such a 'cheerleader' for us kids and he taught us so much about cherishing life, family, and friends. We still hear lots of stories from folks who have special memories of him and yes, he had more 'best friends' than anyone I've ever known. He packed so much into 59 years! How we wish we had more time with him! I'll be forever grateful for the wonderful dad he was and I miss him so much.
Grandpa was such a wonderful man and I still miss him so much. I remember that I was living in Florida at the time and just a week before I had visited Grandma and Grandpa on Marco Island with some friends. It did not feel real when I got the call that he had died. He was just so alive such a short time before with a smile, a joke, and such a warm personality that made my friends seem right at home even though they had just met.
He will be missed for so many years to come. It is hard to believe that it has been 21 years. I can't wait to see him again someday and tell him how thankful I am for all he did for me. He was there when I went through those awful teenage years and took me in for a while.
He was one of the best!
Love to you all.
Ronda
Post a Comment