I Remember Dad
—by Scott on May 13, 2011—
Below are some memories I have of you dad. It's not a very complete list and many of the items are not very important times, but are just things that came to mind.
I Remember ...
- The haircuts I got as a kid and how the fuzzy vacuum cleaner attachment tickled my neck when you were cleaning off the hair.
- When we would go to a White Sox game as a family and sit in the upper deck. Afterwards you let us wait outside the players' parking area to to get autographs.
- Watching the TV show High Chaparral with the family after Sunday night church.
- You pitching to me in the backyard in our chicken wire backstop, more like a tunnel, and hoping you wouldn't bean me.
- You taking me to your job at ABC TV and thinking that was the coolest job ever.
- Throwing paper airplanes around the room with a few of the guys at your workplace.
- Walking to the car after work, telling me to wait on the top of the stairs while you checked on the safety of lower Wacker Drive.
- You racing from the campground showers with your unbuttoned shirt flying in the wind while you came to save the tent from the winds of a tornado producing storm.
I Remember ...
- Going with you on the bus ministry when you would faithfully pick up and drop off kids that couldn't get to church.
- Sitting on the console alongside you in the driver's seat during those bus routes.
- Doing the maintenance for those buses which now makes me wonder how you learned to do that.
- The way my brothers and I would yell "No daddy, no daddy" when the spankings came.
- The way that you and Mom kissed for so long when you would leave for work.
- You working for several days to leave for a California vacation: putting the camper on the truck, extending the bumper, loading 3 motorcycles onto a trailer, tying a bike to the camper roof and a few hundred other things all the while answering the question, "When are we leaving" every 30 minutes.
- When at an ABC work picnic at a farm where you drove a tractor like an old pro and I wondered, "How did he learn to do that?"
I Remember ...
- You enjoying the many years of Ken and Clayt's baseball and softball playing, at times helping to coach while taking pictures, movies and video of the whole experience.
- When I did not want to play baseball any longer, you were fine with it. It left me thinking that I should not have been so worried to tell you.
- How you use to stick your false tooth out.
- How you would refer to us boys as "Uncoothed Barbarians" at the dinner table.
- How you told Clayt he could not be a cowboy if he did not eat beans.
- You getting me a BB gun for Christmas.
- You not wanting to pay the vet to remove Friskie's stitches, despite his yelping you took them out yourself, on 2 different occasions.
- You letting me drive the minibike on the lawn no matter how much Clayt told you it killed the grass.
- When tears came to your eyes when I told you I won the 8th grade band award.
I Remember ...
- The Oklahoma small town newspaper talking about the Bigshot from Chicago who was visiting, but instead referred to you as the Gibshot, and thus a nickname was born.
- Listening to many of your early driving stories: rolling the car over, turning it sideways on a 2 plank bridge and hanging it up on a snow bank in the middle of town.
- When you would repair the cars and they would sit precariously up on blocks for days.
- The time when we were testing out the repaired brakes on the yellow Mustang and took out a road sign.
- You puffing on a bike as we cycled around Mackinaw Island, you and Kim on a tandem. It had been a long time since you had rode one.
- When I told you there were no covers on several electrical outlets you telling me "Just don't touch them."
- Your ingenuity. When your video camera battery died, it was nothing that a car battery on an old hose reel dolly couldn't replace.
- Teaching me how to repair my car brakes and change the oil so I could take care of my car.
I Remember ...
- You always taking your family to church.
- The numerous home movies of your young boys playing as well as your infant daughter's first few days of walking. The proud father maintaining his memories on film.
- When you helped me to install a water heater into my house.
- When you gave my wife a large bag of fortune cookies because you knew she liked them.
- You coming to the hospital several times to visit my son born prematurely and supporting us during that time, being fascinated by the technology.
- You babysitting my kids and tucking them into bed.
- How you could sleep practically anywhere but your bed.
- When after I had kids and I told you there were still no covers on several outlets you telling me "Just don't let them touch them."
- You always having ice cream in the freezer for my kids to eat.
I Remember ...
- You enjoying the championship of your favorite team of your favorite sport, the White Sox.
- Talking about Da Bears after the game.
- Your very creative newsletters.
- Hearing your story about your spin out outside of St. Louis where you did a 360, went in and out of the grassy middle area between the highway tore off half the bumper and straightened out again to keep on going. Made me remember the old stories and think how nothing much has changed.
- Listening to so much of your life's story when my son interviewed you thinking that it took a lot of courage to do the things you did by setting off on your own.
- The 20 plus years of personal victory you had of overcoming.
- Numerous people telling me how you expressed your pride in your family: your kids, their spouses, your grandchildren and great grandchild.
- Your love for Bible prophesy and your stance on the importance of the Gospel message.
- You telling me that sometimes you could still hear Mom's voice.
I Remember ...
- The other day when we read the word under your name in your high school year book, "Wreckless," and it made me think, "That explains a lot."
But most of all I remember our friendship. The hours of sitting and talking with you, getting advice and encouragement. Talking about important stuff or just shootin' the breeze. I remember, and will miss that most Dad.
However, it is a comfort to know that you are with Mom, and you both are with your savior, Jesus Christ in Heaven and I will see you both again.