My Funeral Tribute

We just returned from the memorial service in NYS. We really appreciated all who attended, and hope you enjoyed reminiscing about Dad and finding comfort in the community.

Gail thought it would be appropriate for me to post my notes from the funeral service on October 11. I had written them out because I knew it would be difficult to say with all of the emotions of the week.



Integrity, curiosity, humility, steadfastness, and guts………

These are a few of the things that my father taught me, and these are things that I will hold dear.

My father taught me about integrity……….

My father may not have been a perfect man, but he held his integrity above all else. This served him well, and also earned him many retractors who complained that he “wouldn’t go along” or “keep his mouth shut.” He did not do these things lightly. He fought for what he believed in, and would not waiver to popular opinion.

My father taught me about curiosity……….

He always sought to find a better way to do things. He was constantly looking for ways to save money or speed processes at his various jobs. He spent the most time on things that interested him including trees, plants, minerals, and gold panning. He knew the name of every tree in the forest, and he could name every rock we walked past. Once he amazed you with this information, he could tell you how it got there (generally from a glacier from Canada), and approximately when.

My father taught me about humility…………

My father had some rough roads in his life, and he did his best to get over many obstacles, and sought out assistance when he needed it the most. I think this made him appreciate the people around him even more and enriched our lives in the last few years.

My father taught me about steadfastness………..

This was evident not only in his jobs, but most recently in working for his friends at Coventry Place. When he went into the hospital this last time, one of the first errands I was directed to run was to get the notes he had typed up from two meetings to Jean to ensure that they would get distributed to the appropriate people. Who else but my father would think of such a thing lying in a hospital bed struggling to breathe?

My father taught me about guts…………..

Through all the hardships of life, my father fought to make things better for himself, for his family and his friends. He had a heart attack 9 years ago that the doctor’s said would have killed most people. Dad fought back, and continued to fight through surgeries, hospital stays, and dragging around that oxygen tank for the last year. He did this just to get as much time as possible with the people around him.

Integrity, curiosity, humility, steadfastness, and guts………

These are a few of the reasons why I loved my father. These are the things I will cherish, and these are the things that have helped to shape me as a man, and these are the things I will teach my son.