Happy Fathers' Day Everyone

[vickie gee]

My Dad is about to turn 85. We lost Mom 5 years ago and it has not been easy for him dealing with missing her, taking on the responsibilities he never knew because she handled them, dealing with loneliness, for the last couple of years his own cancers. Still, he is a trooper and tough as an old boot. He is a Korean War Vet and never misses a meeting. Yesterday he went to dinner on the grounds at the cemetery and then came home and mowed his 5 acres. He never misses church, fishes almost every day sometimes taking the boat and sometimes from the banks, gardens, mows, and constantly calls on friends and neighbors. He ALWAYS fries up "a mess of catfish" for folks that have had a death in the family. Two years ago he got treated for leukemia and had to deal with a lot of misery that accompanied the treatment. This year the doctor declared him leukemia free. Then he found out he had colon cancer and quickly had to have a large tumor removed that was about to close his colon. He is currently on chemo pills. At the oncologist office I asked if there was any restrictions on his diet. He loves sweets but I know that sugar feeds cancer. The doctor quickly vetoed the area I was headed for and said that at his age he should get to eat whatever he wants to. Usually when I buy him a gift it is a hat or shoes or church clothes or coveralls or a foot warmer, always something that I know will get used. I asked my brother what to get Dad for Fathers' Day. He told me something to eat, since that is what he loves. So, yesterday I visited the local bakery and bought individual sized desserts for him. He is going to hit the jackpot (oh yeah, forgot to mention he still gambles) when I show up today with pecan pie, banana pudding, German chocolate cheesecake cake, buttermilk pie, and Reece's peanut butter chocolate drizzle pie. Also I will be nice and not bring up all the reasons he should not be driving over to the Indian casinos. I am just going to let him be his hard headed but good hearted self.

Would love to hear about your dads whether you have them still or the memories of when you did.

 

[chandab]

Aw, that was so nice.

My dad has been gone 21 years, we lost him way too young and too soon to cancer, he was a month shy of his 59th birthday. I miss him terribly, every day. I don't really have any stories to share (my skills at writing would do him no justice).

 

[bevann]

My father died in 1974 and was only 69 and I still miss him every day.I'm almost 75 and I was always daddy's girl.Whatever was not right in my life I could always count on him to fix it.My parents were married for several years before they could afford to have children and then fertility treatments in the late 1930s were how I got here.My father was a hard working man with only an 8th grade education, but he believed in a good education for his children.He was always helping others and even years after he died I had many people come up and tell me how my dad loaned them money to go in business or help in some way.Holidays were special Christmas meant big parties in our basement,big family dinners, my dad with a trunk full of turkeys to give away or a trunk full of liquor to give away each of the other holidays he took the whole family out to a nice restaurant.He taught my sons to drive at age 6 and years later i found out my sons drove the 25 mile trip home from our beach house when they were only 10 or 12.He had an automobile business and anyone who worked for him for 25 years got a brand new car.His secretary had never learned to drive so he taught her when she was 60 years old so she could use her new car.I live on a farm he bought in 1949 (I didn't live here growing up-mom wanted no more farm living)and it is still my favorite place to be.He got me my 1st pony when I was 3 and if he were alive today he would love the Minis.He was a farm boy at heart.He was such a special man to many people especially me.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Our son came to visit for Father's Day. He lives 3 hours away. He came for lunch, took a tour to see all the new projects his dad has been up to, tried out the self-healing shooting target gift, and got us up to date on his news of work and play. I got this nice picture of him and dad as he was firing up the Harley to head back home.

And, of course, memories of my dad always come up when we are together; he was a man in a million and a role model for all the men in the family.

 

[Performancemini]

My Dad died in 1978 and was 48. Just the year before his grandson was born. My Dad was the horse enthusiast of our family. My Mom had never been around them. A horse dealer lived down the road from Dad and he learned how to ride and handle them from him. A couple of Mom and Dad's closest friends had a couple of palomino Quarter Horses they showed on the circuit. We went to a few closer shows and my Dad helped with grooming and such. I remember at a younger age going to the coliseum in Madison, Wisconsin for a big big point show and my Dad was the groom that went into the ring to "strip" the horse after the performance class for confirmation. They are the couple that talked my Dad into buying us girls a pony. I tell you-we thought we were NEVER going to get one! We looked for weeks and weeks and he turned pony after pony down. But the one we ended up with was fantastic! We could do just about anything with her and she had lovely confirmation (no papers though). We showed her at local shows and 4-H and she was a winner. Later on now-after he has passed- I think of him often with the ponies my husband and I have had and the minis now. My husband has driven team and I just know if my Dad was alive that my husband would have had a hard time keeping the reins in his own hands. We probably would have two teams on the property! And my none-horsey Mom? Well, she loved the pony us girls got and she loved to brush out her mane and tail. Once Dad passed and when we got into the minis-well, Mom learned to show halter and then to drive. And she has had her own mini now for 11 years, showing in halter, costume and driving. She's 84.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Both my father and my husband's have been gone for many years now. Mine passed when I was only 13 years old and my husbands when he (my husband) was 39, both were in their mid/late 60s when they passed. My husband never met my father but we often laugh about the memories we share of his. His Dad was so exited when we started our family and he felt sure our son was his to name and raise, he never cared for the first name we chose and always referred to our son by his second name - his reasoning - he needed a good biblical name and David (our sons middle name) fit his criteria while his first name did not. He had a habit of popping in to visit and wanting to see that baby, even if we had just gotten him to sleep he would be sure to find a way (short of going into his nursery) to wake him and then because said baby was now crying he would make some grandfatherly statement about how good his lungs were or some such and promptly leave. It was all quite annoying at the time (as young parents we took ourselves quite seriously and felt he should too) but now it is a fond family memory that we chuckle about. Our son and his grandpa were quite close and our son has happy memories of planting potatoes (the one thing I have no luck with and never planted but that my FIL felt was mandatory in all gardens - of course once planted the care was up to me lol) in secret while I was busy with something in the house. Now I plant potatoes (at least a couple) in his memory each year.

For my husbands father's day we went out to a nice restaurant last night had steak and sea food and a wonderful visit with my son, his girlfriend and her parents. Very relaxed evening. The day before for my celebration of him we took the time to properly fit his new (he's had it for a couple of years, sitting collecting dust) pairs harness on his geldings and then ground drove them to refresh their memories about working. This week we will, if the weather co-operates, hitch them to the wagon and do some actual driving with them after several years of being pasture ornaments.