My dad died 5 years ago. His death was quite a shock. My family and I were all focused on my brother Tom who was very ill and we knew he would not live long. So when the call came about my dad it was hard to comprehend the news. Even though dad was 86, he was in pretty good health. He had no major illnesses or injuries to suggest death was near. At the care home that evening, some time after dinner, he went to his room and sat down in his recliner. That was it. He never awoke. He just checked out. He was done with this world. Done. Right then. Done. We should all be so lucky I suppose. He died quickly. There was no illness, no hospital, no lingering, no pain. There was only quietness.

My dad was not a complicated man but to say he was a simple man seems like an insult to him. He wasn’t highly educated and he never had a lot of money. What he did have was far more important and valuable, something that seems to be absent from the hearts and minds of many people today; my dad had a strong a sense of duty.

Dad grew up in the 1930’s and 1940’s in a large family. They worked hard for what little they owned.

He quit school after the 8^th grade so he could help on the family farm. A few years later in 1944, when he was only 18 years old, he joined the Marines. Serving his country during World War II was something he didn’t talk about much. Dad served in the Pacific Theater, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, and Saipan. He was awarded a Purple Heart for injuries he received in Saipan.

After he returned from the war, he married my mother and they proceeded to have a family. Six kids they had. Yep, six little hellions to feed and clothe and to see through all the different situations kids can get in to including some most unusual circumstances. Now mind you, we were kids in the 1950’s and 1960’s. We played with things that are completely outlawed today. Dad worked through it all. My brother David says dad was the hardest working SOB anyone could ever know. That’s true. To this day, my dad is still the hardest working person I have ever known.

Dad worked building the telegraph line, doesn’t that sound strange in this day of technology. He labored at carpentry, concrete, construction, farming, the gravel business, and operated heavy equipment. He worked long hard hours. So some days we didn’t see much of him. If one of his kids were in trouble though, he was there. Let me tell you, with six kids, there were some years he was there a lot. Ha.

Anyone who knew my mother knows she was hard to love sometimes. Dad did though, right to the very end. He spent the last few years of her life seeing to it that she was cared for. Mom was bipolar, something none of us knew, including her, until she was almost 60. So staying and caring and loving her was no small thing, but he stayed through it all.

Today I remember my dad, a hardworking man who had a sense of duty like I have never seen in anyone else.  He showed me and my brothers what a strong work ethic looked like and I can say with ease that all of us emulate that work ethic. He showed us what it meant to stick-it-out and do what is needed. He did that. So thanks Dad, job well done.

This is only a test. If this were a real post, your computer would be on fire by now.

My dad died 5 years ago. His death was quite a shock. My family and I were all focused on my brother Tom who was very ill and we knew he would not live long. So when the call came about my dad it was hard to comprehend the news. Even though dad was 86, he was in pretty good health. He had no major illnesses or injuries to suggest death was near. At the care home that evening, some time after dinner, he went to his room and sat down in his recliner. That was it. He never awoke. He just checked out. He was done with this world. Done. Right then. Done. We should all be so lucky I suppose. He died quickly. There was no illness, no hospital, no lingering, no pain. There was only quietness.

My dad was not a complicated man but to say he was a simple man seems like an insult to him. He wasn’t highly educated and he never had a lot of money. What he did have was far more important and valuable, something that seems to be absent from the hearts and minds of many people today; my dad had a strong a sense of duty.

Dad grew up in the 1930’s and 1940’s in a large family. They worked hard for what little they owned. He quit school after the 8^th grade so he could help on the family farm. A few years later in 1944, when he was only 18 years old, he joined the Marines. Serving his country during World War II was something he didn’t talk about much. Dad served in the Pacific Theater, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, and Saipan. He was awarded a Purple Heart for injuries he received in Saipan.

After he returned from the war, he married my mother and they proceeded to have a family. Six kids they had. Yep, six little hellions to feed and clothe and to see through all the different situations kids can get in to including some most unusual circumstances. Now mind you, we were kids in the 1950’s and 1960’s. We played with things that are completely outlawed today. Dad worked through it all. My brother David says dad was the hardest working SOB anyone could ever know. That’s true. To this day, my dad is still the hardest working person I have ever known.

Dad worked building the telegraph line, doesn’t that sound strange in this day of technology. He labored at carpentry, concrete, construction, farming, the gravel business, and operated heavy equipment. He worked long hard hours. So some days we didn’t see much of him. If one of his kids were in trouble though, he was there. Let me tell you, with six kids, there were some years he was there a lot. Ha.

Anyone who knew my mother knows she was hard to love sometimes. Dad did though, right to the very end. He spent the last few years of her life seeing to it that she was cared for. Mom was bipolar, something none of us knew, including her, until she was almost 60. So staying and caring and loving her was no small thing, but he stayed through it all.

Today I remember my dad, a hardworking man who had a sense of duty like I have never seen in anyone else.  He showed me and my brothers what a strong work ethic looked like and I can say with ease that all of us emulate that work ethic. He showed us what it meant to stick-it-out and do what is needed. He did that. So thanks Dad, job well done.