Posted: 2/21/2013 2:00:47 PM EDT
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So tomorrow is the one year anniversary. Some people post something interesting for milestone posts but i don't have anything all that great to share. The one year anniversary of the passing of my father is just around the corner so i thought maybe i would share something in memory of him. This is a copy of my speech that i gave at his funeral. It is a little long and i don't expect everyone to read it all but if you got the time I thought maybe some people could learn a little about my Dad... Looking out at all of you here today reminds me of how much my father meant to so many people. Dad was a fireman, and in so many ways that title defined who he was. He was my hero but he was also a hero to many others in his life. Whether they were family, friends, fellow fighters or victims of life's everyday tragedies, he was always there to help them. That’s what a firefighter does. If you needed him he was always there. Dad was a leader and I don't think that he was ever happier in his life then when he was with his fellow firefighters leading them at what they do best. Last year I asked dad as he was preparing for his last shift if he was happy to retire. He said yes I am excited to go fly the plane and travel places with mom but there was never a day in my 32 years that I woke up and was not excited to go to work, I love the department and I will always miss working with the greatest group of people in the world. Dad was a family man and I know how proud he was to be our dad. Just to see him talk about his 2 beautiful granddaughters you could see the glow in his face. And he couldn't help but to brag about his kids whenever he had the chance. A lot of what made my dad who he was has long been a mystery to me. I don’t know how he became the wise, strong, loving, determined and loyal man that he was. I guess that you never realize how much of our parents we have in us, or how it all got there, but I am glad that he was the man that helped me to become who I am today. The last text message I got from dad said, son I am only trying to help guide you through life. I hope that he knew how much he always had and always will be there to guide me. My dad told me all the time how proud he was of me and I hope that he knew how proud I am to be his son. My father’s example has always been an important guide for me, a standard of what a professional, a gentleman, a friend, a husband and, most importantly, what a father can and should be. It’s hard to imagine life without his guidance, his wisdom and his examples. Over the last few months, he provided yet another example to me; an example of what it means to be someone who bears illness and pain with strength, patience and dignity. A man who had dedicated his entire life to saving others, had now become the one that needed saving. Unfortunately, the available treatments were not likely to succeed. He knew that better than anyone and yet He showed strength love and faith right up to his last moments with us. Dad had many hobbies and he enjoyed trying new things. Some things he was better at than others. We used to snowboard a lot, I remember the day that dad tried to show me how to properly navigate moguls on a snowboard. And I am sure that many of you Remember him being assigned to dispatch with a broken leg soon after. He tried skate boarding... Once... when we all ran up to him lying flat on his back I knew that skateboarding would not be his thing. He loved hunting and shooting. Though he always talked about getting old and shaky, I never could out shoot him with a pistol. Many of you know how much he loved riding his bike; he had even made plans for a cross country ride. He was also skilled with a potato gun, with it I saw him hit a cow at 300 yards from my grandparents deck. He said it was an accident but still... it was a great shot. I think everyone would agree that dad’s favorite thing in the world was to fly. We drove up to Oregon as a family to get the plane in 99’. The plane flew for the first time in February of 2011. And that was a very proud moment for dad and for the rest of the family. Dad was always happy when he was flying his plane. He would fly anytime, to anywhere, with anybody for any reason. I remember my first flight with dad in our plane. Just after takeoff, 100 feet off the ground, pointed at the sky climbing at 3000 feet a minute. I looked over at him and he was beaming. 10 years of work and there we were in the air at last. I have never seen dad happier than he was in that moment and that is the way that I will always remember dad. So many things go through your mind when reality sets in and you finally realize that you have said good bye for the last time. Some thoughts are bitter. Like he didn't deserve this and why would you do this to us. Some thoughts are scary like how will we survive without him or who will I turn to now. Some thoughts are happy, like Knowing that dad is safe and without pain walking with the lord. And some things are sad like realizing that he will never hold my first child. But the most important thought that keeps going through my mind is something that I have known for a long time, and that is that my dad was the greatest man I have ever known and that I am going to miss him every day of my life. Thanks for Reading.   |
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That was a great eulogy, and I'm sorry for your loss. Your Dad sounds like the kind of guy who will be missed by more than just his family. Interesting story from the funeral. There was a family there that i had never meet. Find out later that they where a family that had one of their children saved by my Dad. The girl was 18 and had been accepted to Duke University on a full ride. My Dad had saved her from a CO leak when she was 6. |
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Sorry for your loss. As a fellow fireman I can honestly tell you, you still have a lot of people out there looking out for you. Stop by his old firehouse, those guys would be happy to see you and hear some stories about him. guarantee you they have quite a few about him you haven't heard. I am glad your dad got to pick the wheels up on HIS plane before he died. Sounds like your dad was a great man. Again sorry to hear that he had his final call. Beautiful eulogy.
Edit: What was his name? Just nice to put a name to a good man. |
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Quoted:
Sorry for your loss. As a fellow fireman I can honestly tell you, you still have a lot of people out there looking out for you. Stop by his old firehouse, those guys would be happy to see you and hear some stories about him. guarantee you they have quite a few about him you haven't heard. I am glad your dad got to pick the wheels up on HIS plane before he died. Sounds like your dad was a great man. Again sorry to hear that he had his final call. Beautiful eulogy. Edit: What was his name? Just nice to put a name to a good man. Oh you don't have to worry about that, the department is like a second family. My cousin works at his old house and one of the guys from his old crew is my next door neighbor. We do trips with his old crew all the time. He was on the job for 32 years, there are very few firemen that I haven't at least met. His name was Carl. |