My earliest memories are of him playing with us. Tickle fights, wrestling. He always had time for us and we knew it. When we were young, his job took him out of town sometimes. He never came home empty handed. He always had a present for us. If his plane flew in late, I was often too excited to fall a sleep. He would always come in and give me a hug and a kiss goodnight on the forehead. He was always kind and patient with us. He was the definition of self-control. I honestly do not remember him ever losing his temper or yelling at us.
Dad made his family his priority. We were very secure in that. He was offered promotions, was approached for management positions and turned them down. When I was older and asked him why, it was because he wanted to save his energy for us and his church family. He had no need to prove his worth through climbing the corporate ladder. He even turned down opportunities to relocate to places like Ottawa and the Philippines because my sister and I were horrified at the thought of moving. He sacrificed his desire for change and adventure to provide us stability. He truly loved us and led his family as God called him to. He laid down his life, his dreams, his desires and put us first. Every time! I honestly don't know a lot of men who can do that with the same level of commitment, joy and certainty. He wasn't resentful, he embraced his decisions fully and never looked back, at least as far as we knew. He seemed to really enjoy his work, his peers and he provided very well for our family. Looking back I realize how much he gave up for us and there is no adequate way to say thank you. He has loved us so well.
Dad knew playing was fundamental to family life. He prioritized holidays and I have always appreciated that. Every summer we looked forward to camping. Countless great memories and stories come from those times together. That is where my love of road trips began. When we were young, Dad and Mom invested in a lake lot and boat. Every day that was 20 degrees or hotter, rain or shine, was spent out there. He loves driving boat for anyone to ski, wake board, or even tube. He is a patient instructor and greatly enjoys the success of his students. Dad is social and generous. He loves it best when friends come along and play with us. He gently and determinedly encouraged me to ski, until I was ready, he came up with other creative things for me to do behind the boat. Before there were tubes there was "The Red Board". He designed it, built it out of plywood and painted it a bright red. I could sit, kneel or stand on it and from there a hydro slide didn't seem so intimidating. He told me once I water skied I could go to Dairy Queen and get a Peanut Buster Parfait, an extravagant treat at that time. I was stubborn and not until my cousin, who was like a brother to me, got up on skis did I decide that I could do it too. We both got a parfait that night. Dad wanted to share what he loved with us and always worked hard to get us involved.
Cross country skiing is what Dad grew up with and we did it as a family when I was younger. The long skis were hard for me to control, the hills scared me and in general I hated it. Dad would send everyone ahead and let me set my pace. He was patient and encouraging with my horrible, pouty attitude. He would stay calm and make it as fun as I would let him. He never made me feel bad. I remember being last coming down the mountain in the dark, skiing between his skies. He would gently talk too me to keep me calm. I was terrified because it was steep and I couldn't see it was so dark. Everyone else impatiently waiting for us at the bottom. He defended me and never let them tease me. I was maybe 5 or 6. Winter after winter he would do this with me. Until I was 10, I fell on a downhill section and ripped all the soft tissue in my knee. I never cross country skied again. However, when my sister and I fell in love with downhill skiing, though reluctant at first, he gave it a shot. He got injured his first time out but was already hooked. We got equipment after that and every weekend the weather allowed, Dad got us on the hill and we skied. He was the driving force to get us out there, the night before, he prepped our skies and got our gear in order. He would wake us up, feed us and usher us into the car. His passion built our passion. If we struggled to love something he loved he would try to make it easier to engage in. When that failed, he developed an interest in something we liked. I love him so much for this.
Dad loves to sing, he has the greatest bass voice. I loved it in church if we sang some of the hymns that had really creative bass lines. He would sing them so incredibly well. He loved choir and singing in men's groups. He knew enough guitar to pull it out and sing with us in the basement once in a while. I loved those times. Singing and making music in the family was very special to me. We had birds for pets growing up. I think they loved Dad best, he would wake up and whistle to them in the morning and they would chirp along. We absolutely loved having those silly birds out and if Dad came into the room, they would try to fly and land on his shoulder. He did not like the droppings they would sometimes leave and so if he saw them coming he would hit the ground to avoid having them land on him. It was the funniest thing. We would laugh ourselves silly to see him flat out on the floor just to avoid those silly birds. Then he would talk in a scolding voice to scare them off. He added music to our home and I loved it!
Dad was also our resident funny man. When I was 4, he had me convinced that the tow truck was a vehicle that was made to come and get my big toe. He was always cracking jokes and the funniest was when he would bust out a dance move. Even better, was when he would swing us up into his arms and dance around the living room with us. There were a few songs he would randomly start singing which we knew would lead to going to hug, tickle and harass Mom. This inevitably got squeals of laughter and delight from my sister and I.
I was so proud when our neighborhood presented Dad with a "Handyman" award. He was always available to help anyone. He was a "Jack of all Trades" and was generous with all he had. He saved a lot of money by doing things himself and he did them well.
Dad was very committed to our church family and volunteered faithfully in various roles. He has always been a spiritual giant to me. His discipline in reading the Bible. His knowledge and conviction, and his passion for those who don't know Jesus were huge formative influences in my life. He would talk about co-workers asking him questions about God at work, he would be so excited about the opportunity to share. He has always been full of love, grace and compassion for others. He has lived his faith before us authentically and honestly. His relationship with God is real, deep and vital. In living out his faith, especially in how he was with us, Dad made knowing God very attractive.
Dad was always available to talk. He loved answering our questions about life and faith. He would explain carefully how he had formed his conclusions. He would stop in the middle of mowing the lawn to answer a question or talk with us. Even when he was busy with something in his work shop or reading the news paper, he would stop doing what he was doing to give us the chance to talk with him. I loved to hear him talk with my Grandfather or friends about Theological topics. No matter what he was doing, we always came first. Dad was approachable and available.
Dad always believed in me. He studied with me. Prayed for wisdom with me. He knew I had a lot to offer and even though I struggled with confidence, he always made sure I knew he thought I could do it. I remember in College phoning him and saying with great surprise that I got an "A" in math. I couldn't believe it! Dad wasted no time in letting me know that he always knew I could.
I was born early and had trouble with my lungs, it was unsure that I would survive. My Grandparents would tell me stories about how hard that was. How scared my parents were. When I was three, I almost drowned. While pulling a prank on a friend, Dad came upon me submerged and all blue. He fished me out of the water and somehow they got me breathing. I had a couple of close calls and Dad would always tell me "God saved you for something!". He taught me that I had purpose. Dad taught me that life is about so much more than getting a fancy house and the accumulation of things. He taught me that everyone we meet and everything we do has a purpose in God's kingdom. He taught me that the life worth living was the life that was obedient to God. He lived on mission and taught me to as well.
He has been an amazing Grandfather. He was involved, caring and attentive when the kids were little. He was so eager to hold them the day they were born. When they were lethargic, feverish and teething, they lay in Grandpa's arms while we sponge bathed, medicated and worried. We went down to help Gail and Steve get the farm house ready for moving in. While we painted, Dad was on kid duty. He did a great job! He spent hours on the water in the boat with them. It was our play pen on water and he loved being there with them. He drove boat for them while they learned to wake board and water ski. He never says no when they ask for a pull. He spent time coaching Quin in hockey. He is committed to coming to their games and tournaments for volleyball. He and Mom made it to most of their out of town tournaments. He has given their teams great pep talks. Dad often sees their potential and their teammates abilities. He has encouraged them in their endeavors and been there to cheer them on. He has made it a priority to be there to play with them too.
I could write so much more. God knew Dad was the father I needed. Perhaps I made him sound a little too perfect. He was perfect for me. They say if you have a great Dad, you often marry someone who is a lot like him. I do have a great Dad. I married a man very much like him. Dad is the best of men. He taught me that real men have integrity, faith, passion for God and for life and that they love others well. I love him so much for the man that he is, for the Father and Grandfather he is. He lives life well. He has set an example worth following. I love you so much Dad. Thank you for everything you have done and continue to do. Your deep love for your family is known by all of us. You are a remarkable man. You are still my Hero!
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