Its been 20 years since my dad passed away and I still think about him all the time.
My father passed away in 1991, 5 weeks before my son was born. I have such wonderful memories of growing up. My parents were older when I was born. I am the youngest of 3 and have 2 older brothers. Dad was the hardest worker I’ve ever known. He was an engineer by day and at night and on weekends he built the house I grew up in. He did everything; wiring, roofing, flooring and plumbing. I think the only thing he hired some help for was the fireplace.
We grew up on a little 5 acre farm with a large garden, a barn with silos and a huge front yard. It was so big that my dad coached little league baseball on it. We had cherry and apple trees. I picked gooseberries, raspberries, boysenberries and strawberries. I loved it when Dad pulled a carrot from the garden, wiped the dirt off and handed it to me to eat. We baled hay, made hay forts and played hide-n-seek in the dark. We slopped the pigs and fed the chickens.
As the years rolled by the barn, the animals and the fruit trees went away. The one thing that remained constant was the garden. My dad was born in Wisconsin, homesteaded in Montana and married a farmers daughter from Scotland. Growing vegetables was in his blood. His garden was a work of art; the rows were lined up perfectly, there was never any weeds or rocks. In fact, hubby and I said our wedding vows standing in front of the garden.
Dad was an honest soul who found humor in every situation, respected and had the respect of everyone, and was an extremely giving person. He gave his time to the Lions helping with various community projects, coached little league baseball teams, built a Boy’s and Girl’s club. He baked the best pies and he would tell you so too! 🙂 His love for books passed on to me. We could sit in the den together for hours, both of us reading books, and never say a word to each other. I was and will always be his baby girl.
An incredible man, a beautiful soul. I will celebrate him in my heart today as I do every day. Happy Fathers day Daddy. I love you.
Sis
Some pictures you might enjoy…
My brothers feeding the chickens…
Dad always made sure we took a family vacation each year. Here’s a picture I found taken in 1962 of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Dad always wore a bow tie to work on payday. His old blue sweater became a constant piece of his wardrobe when he worked in the yard.
It was important to my parents that we go to Sunday school. The white building in the back was the barn. My brothers used to trick me into going down the ladder to one of the silos. They would pull the ladder and leave me. Dad would find me. He was my hero.
Practicing baseball in the front yard. My brother and I sitting on the wood pile.
My bother, Dad and I in Solana Beach, California at my Grandma Anne’s house.
My brothers and Dad.
The young golfer. Maybe this is where my son got it. Picture on the right in Hawaii. Dad thinks he is being funny with the flower jammed in his swim trunks. See the smirk on his face?
When my mom passed away we had big poster pics made. This was one of them. I took a picture of the picture. I wonder what the bright light means?
So today, If you have the chance to hug your dad today hug hard and make a memory. If you’ve lost you dad then take time to reflect and enjoy the memories.
Love,
Lattenene
Lattenene Chat 