I miss my dad.... :(

[clearwater]

We love you dad
10.25.29- 07.21.08

These are the words I shared with those who came to honor my father and pay their last respects-

I think that the words that best describe my dad are "Old School", he is very set In his ways and beliefs for many years and tended to do things that reflected his upbringing . Some people may have thought he was a hard man to get to know, I know some people may think of him as boastful which may have made him seem a bit undesirable to be around and get to know but my father is a very proud man, he is proud of his accomplishments, proud to show people how far he's come from what he called "the ghetto" in Baltimore as he walked them around the house and once again explained how important it had been to pay the house off early and keep all that interest out of the banks pocket. He is always more than happy to sit you down, show you pictures of his kids, his mother, brothers and sisters or himself when he used to box or when he was a pilot. More than likely he'd wrap it all up by telling you a story about his time in Vietnam or perhaps share the story of Fat Charles who picked on him and took his nickel, or he'd blow you away with his story about how he went to jail for NOT stealing bananas. ( I remember the looks of confusion on many faces when he said those very words, "I went to jail for NOT stealing bananas") But whichever story you heard it was guaranteed that it wouldn't be the last time.

Dad had a soft spot for music, I think in his earlier years he had a big thing for romantic songs, there are tapes and videos and reel to reels full of so many romantic songs. Later on when I came around dad seemed to have formed a fondness for R&B and Rap music, he has listened to the same radio station for about 25 years, the station in the truck never changed and neither did the one in the house, some of the songs that made him chuckle most seemed to be the ones with humorous profanity or phrases such as "Gold Digger". He'd call you to him when the song came on and keep you there until the part played that he thought was funny and then he'd laugh , I'd look at him and say "Dad you're funny", and I'd shake my head as I walked off and laughed to myself. Music was one gift I was very glad to have been able to share with dad, we liked the same station and a lot of the same songs so we could just hang and listen when I came to visit him.

Some of my favorite times with my dad were when my mom was out of town or working late and he wanted me to come make him dinner. He and I share a taste for steak but I think he liked it just a little more than I do, he would eat steak ALL the time if you let him and many times that I went to cook for him be it one night or the whole week dad usually wanted steak and potatoes and would come home from the commissary with some t-bones to throw on the grill or in the oven.

Steak nights were a good opportunity to just sit down and talk while we ate, we talked about the family that lives here, the grandkids, which of his other kids he had talked to lately, what they were up to, the economy, politics….what was on Jerry Springer yesterday, whatever, they were great talks and I'm thankful for those bonding opportunities to just share my life, thoughts and ideas with him.

In more recent years dad liked having us over more and more often when he stopped getting out of the house as much as he used to, he always called and asked when we were coming over next, and if we needed anything, if Casper needed anything, we kept him happy by putting him on fruit duty and when he was up to going to the Commissary he made sure that the fruit bowl was well stocked with apples and oranges for Casper when he came to visit, and then of course there was the candy that we all told him not to buy but he'd still get it and sneak it to the kids, particularly the lifesavers and kisses even when we told him they didn't need the sugar, he'd sneak behind our backs and give it to them anyway. That was dad for you, all you could do is sigh and hope the sugar crash came sooner than later.

Dad would have given us the world if he could, he loved us all very much and did everything he could to be sure that we were happy, healthy and didn't need anything because according to him it was better to "have it and not need it then to need it and not have it". He was always very generous and happy to help if we were tight on bills one month and needed a helping hand, or sometimes he'd just try to sneak a few bucks to the kids so they'd have money to do something fun, I know I found my fair share of dollars in Casper's pockets after a day at Papa's house.

We may not have always understood his reasoning or his methods but he meant well and did the best he could for us. Dad was an amazing person and a good man, I'm eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to spend his last days with him, and that he had the chance to spend that time with us, he knew he was loved by so many people, more than I even realized until I met them all yesterday. But he will never be truly gone, he will live on in our hearts and our memories. I see him every day when I look into the mirror and when I look at my son. I know that he will always be there, walking beside me, jamming with me to the radio and probably wishing he could have a bite of my steak.