Well, I am surrounded by great fathers in my life. My own dad, my brother Matt and my husband Brian. I watch all three everyday and they amaze me. My dad is always willing to help me out. Even though I am all grown up and out on my own. All I have to do is call and he is there. Many people don't seem to understand him, but he sincere in everything he says and does for his family. He is kind and loving and also a great grandfather. The way he is with Abby and Alex makes me smile. They love him like they were his own kids. I see that they look at him the way I have my whole life. He is a hero to myself and family.
Matt has turned into a wonderful dad. He spends everyday with Alex. And Alex is turning into quite the little man. I see Matt in him each and everyday. I love my brother and love how much he loves his son.
Brian has amazed me. Although a kid himself, he is very loving with Abby. I always knew he would be a wonderful dad, but to see him with our daughter, and how much she loves him, makes me very happy. It took us a while, but our little family has evolved into something magnificent.
So to the three dads in my life everyday, Thank you for how much you care for your families. I appreciate everything you do. You all are heroes in all our lives.
--Becky
THIS IS EASY BUT SO HARD. GROWING UP I THOUGHT MY DAD WAS THE TOUGHEST MAN ON EARTH. ALL THE SPANKINGS SEEMED EASY FOR HIM TO GIVE. WITH SEVEN CHILDREN UNDER ONE ROOF I BET HE DIDN'T KNOW WHICH CHILD HE WAS PUNISHING AND THE PROOF OF THIS WAS WHEN HE WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL OUR NAMES UNTIL HE GOT THE RIGHT ONE.
WHEN HE LEFT HOME, I THOUGHT THINGS WOULD BE A BREEZE WITH THE DISCIPLINARIAN OUT OF THE HOUSE, ONLY TO BE PROVEN WRONG. I OFTEN FOUND MYSELF WANTING TO SPANK KAY OR BOBBY MYSELF. I COULDN'T IMAGINE TRYING TO CONTROL SEVEN.
WHEN HE LEFT, MY WORLD CHANGED FOREVER. I FEARED MY DAD FOR A LONG TIME AND DISTANCED MYSELF FROM HIM. YEARS LATER I BECAME JEALOUS OF THE RELATIONSHIP HE DEVELOPED WITH KAY. AFTER TALKING TO HER ABOUT THIS, SHE SAID SIMPLY "YOU CAN HAVE IT TOO, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PUT FORTH THE EFFORT AND HE WILL MEET YOU HALF WAY, BUT IT TAKES TWO TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP".
WELL I TRIED IT AND IT WORKED. I FOUND I WAS ABLE TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT ANYTHING AT ANY TIME. HE WOULD GIVE HIS OPINION AND I COULD TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT, HIS ONLY ADVICE WAS TO STAND UP FOR WHAT I THOUGHT WAS RIGHT, AND GOOD LORD WILLING, IF I WAS WRONG IT WOULD BE PROVEN TO ME. WE REALLY DEVELOPED A RELATIONSHIP THAT I WAS PROUD OF. I WAS PROUD TO CALL HIM MY DAD.
I SPENT ALMOST SIX MONTHS IN OHIO WITH HIM. I SAW SIDES THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO, BUT HAD TO UNDERSTAND WHERE HE WAS COMING FROM. WHILE LOOKING FOR A SONG BOOK FOR HIM ONE NIGHT I FOUND A LETTER FROM HIS CHURCH THAT REFUSED TO ACCEPT HIS RESIGNATION. WHEN ASKED ABOUT IT HE SAID HE COULD NO LONGER PREACH WHEN HIS MARRIAGE ENDED. I GOT TO HEAR HIM SING ONCE MORE THAT NIGHT AND I WILL NEVER FORGET IT. IT WAS A SONG ABOUT A TRAIN COMING TO TAKE HIM HOME. I CRIED MYSELF TO SLEEP THAT NIGHT, IT BROUGHT BACK SOOO MANY MEMORIES.
LONG STORY SHORT, HE BECAME THE DAD I ALWAYS WANTED HIM TO BE. I MISS HIM SO MUCH, BUT I KNOW HE'S AROUND. AFTER HE PASSED AWAY IT WAS HARD TO GO BACK TO THE LAKE, BUT TO THIS DAY, A LONE MALLARD DUCK , LIKE THE ONE THAT SAT ON HIS T.V., APPEARS EVERY MORNING AND EVERY EVENING, I THINK IT'S HIS WAY OF SAYING
GOOOOD MORNING AND
GOOOD NIGHT. I ALSO, OUT OF THE BLUE, HAVE FIGURED OUT HIS
BISCUTS AN GRAVY AND TURNED INTO A PRETTY GOOD FISHERMAN!!!!!!!!!!!! THANKS DAD, I WILL
ALWAYS LOVE YOU.
---# 6 OF 8
This about sums up how I feel about Pops ... my Hero.
-David
Born April 17, 1921, Dad was the youngest of nine children. According to various stories, I've heard that he was a bit spoiled as a child. Being the
youngest of nine, I can imagine that
strength and energy for discipline might have been waning by his parents Lou and Mattie, by the time he came along. Mine surely would have been.
Living with Dad during my growing up years wasn't always easy. His word was law and I had sense enough, most of the time anyway, not to transgress. I don't remember being a Daddy's girl in any sense of the word. I was the oldest child and I know he cared for me; but for years he had difficulty showing that. I imagine it was simply because he hadn't been taught and back then, it wasn't a manly thing to be lovey-dovey with your kids. Gratefully he grew into a different bend as he got older ... so did we all.
We took care of Dad at our home when he developed throat cancer. He lived with us during that illness and I drove him to U of M each Monday - Friday morning for radiation treatments that lasted six weeks. Things got rough for him about 3/4 of the way through and one night he woke me up coughing badly and calling my name. I went to his room to find his t-shirt covered in blood and he had coughed so hard he could barely speak. He looked at me and said "Let's quit ... I'm tired .. let's quit". I firmly told him I hadn't brought him into my home to die and the word 'quit' wasn't in the vocabulary just then. Then I cleaned him up, gave him some water, kissed his forehead and went back to bed. And cried.
This man who had helped give me life was suffering and I couldn't take away the pain he was going through. All I could do was be with him in it. As we all know, he recovered and went back home to Ohio. And I was selfishly angry when he left. On his last treatment at U of M I went in to see my lung doctor and learned I had pneumonia. I came home and laid on the couch and he went home. And again I cried. I never told him about that but maybe I should have. I thought that sense I had taken care of him, the least he could have done was stay around to make sure I was alright.
Thankfully as he matured so did I and I was able to put differences aside and learn to appreciate him as my Dad. I made trips to visit him and we had good times. Weather permitting we would sit on the front porch swing and talk; go for rides in the country and eat. Once we canned the tomatoes that he had grown next to his trailer; another time we had a fish fry with hush puppies ... oh my how good that was! 9:00 pm would find us in the living room to see who Larry King had on his talk show. If it was someone interesting we would sit up and watch the program, if not, we'd both head to bed. Morning came early at Minford's place.
Gratefully I was able to help Kay, George and Rita take care of Dad during his last months with us. It was a blessedly difficult time and I wouldn't trade it if I could. It brought me closer to the man I had once been afraid to cross and allowed me to see him as my Dad, who once again needed help from his family.
Dad had his faults, we all do, everyone of us. But without him and Mom I wouldn't be here and I'm thankful God chose to have them be my parents. As he helped give me life, my siblings and I helped him enter into his new one. He assured us he had made peace with the Lord and once, while in the hospital in Upper Sandusky, asked me to tell him what heaven was like. I thought 'this man once preached and he's asking me to now tell him about heaven ... what a blessing'. I did the best I could to describe it and he looked at me and said "And I have a little blond-haired girl waiting for me, don't I?" Yes Dad, you did. And now I have YOU waiting for me.
You're being remembered this Father's Day Dad, by all your kids and grandkids. You have great grandchildren you never got to meet and they're all something to behold. Erica Louise (named after me!) was born a few months after you died. And there's Jason, Jr., and Alex and Tanner & Haylee and Logan & Zoey and last but not least, Abigail. Your family has grown and we have you to thank for helping us get here. You now have 15 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.
We miss you Minford, but I'm so thankful you're not hurting any longer. And I am so grateful to God that because of Christ I can spend eternity with you. I love you very much. Louise
Well this is a hard one for me. I don't remember too much about my Dad growing up. And it's such a complicated relationship now. I do love and respect him as a man but I still really don't know him as a father. And I see all the great posts about Pappaw but after he moved away I didn't see him much. Honestly when I think of a father the man who stands out most to me is Uncle Warren. I spent most of my time there after Dad left and they took me in when things went bad with Mom. I can honestly say I think he thinks I don't like him much, but oh, to the contrary. I saw how he was with his kids, yes he could be hard as nails, and a lot of the time we called him mean. But there is that other side to him, he's funny and warm and I have never seen a Dad who could love his kids more. Those three kids are blessed to have the set of parents that they were blessed with.
Happy Fathers Day
Love, Sis
Dad was so much more than my Dad. He was my friend. He was my soft place to fall. He was my safe haven. We shared so much over the years. Way too many donuts to count, countless hours on the phone every week, on his swing, or on the banks somewhere fishing. Garage sales, flea markets.. He was my shopping buddy. His strawberries were the best !!! He taught me to fish when I was six years old, with corn as bait on a cane pole. To this day that memory is so vivid, and when I need to be at peace, I fish. It ALWAYS reminds me of Dad, and gives me the most serene feeling inside. His hands were so strong. Strong when I was a child and I needed to be corrected, but strong in a gentle way when I just needed to hold them.
I miss him, sometimes so much it hurts. I would love to hear that "heeeee" when he would laugh, I would love to have one more donut with him, I would love to hear his voice one more time, sit on his swing and hold his hand, comb his hair. Dad is still with me. I can feel his presence sometimes, and when my world is at it's darkest, he whispers that everything is going to be OK. It's so comforting to know that when it's my time, he will be there waiting for me, with those strong hands reaching out to me. I'm so thankful for all the memories that I will forever carry in my heart and knowing that when he left this world, he knew how much I loved him, and I knew how much he loved me. I love my Amigo, my Schmeeg....my friend, and miss him so much.
Happy Fathers Day, Dad.
Kay
I guess just having dad as my father, hanging out at the dragstrip, being able to talk to him about anything. I guess having such a rocky relationship with him in my teens it's just great that we have such a great relationship now. I am proud to be his son and I hope that I can be the half the man he is.
-Shawn
On Fathers Day I will remember my father and thank him for all he gave me thru his years. I cannot think of any one thing, but his one liners stick out even today:
"You made your bed, sleep in it". "You started it, now finish it'. "Don't worry about the rain, you can float". Or the famous.........WELL.....when he got aggravated.
He is close to me when I fish to this day. The memories of catching worms in the yard with an electrical rod was a work of art not practiced much today.
I miss my dad, always will. I hope I can do as well with my son as he did with me.
-Bobby
From Lorna:
The man I admire most is Brad, my oldest brother. He is a man of character and integrity, a wonderful family man and a great brother. And he is a good man. He is the one that has shown me what a Dad should be.
