My Dad Passed Away


[Follow Ups] [Post Followup] [Dodge Power Wagon Forum]


Posted by Matt Wilson [173.74.8.26] on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 at 01:07:26 :

My dad passed away the week before last. I'm just now at the point where I feel I can talk about him.

I think you all would appreciate the kind of man he was. My dad was really an extraordinary man who lived an extraordinary life. He was a great dad who cared very much for his children and he always made sure we knew that. He taught us to learn throughout life, to work hard, respect others and to take time to enjoy life. He exemplified what “The Greatest Generation” was all about, growing up in the depression (without a father), serving in the Navy during WWII as part of the Philippine Liberation/Okinawa Invasion, later working as a Fireman for 38 years, and eventually becoming the Chief of the El Paso Fire Department.

He volunteered in, and actually headed, many civic and charitable organizations, often taking me with him to help out, too. He was active in the various churches he attended over the years. All of this was to help others and make the community a better place, and because he enjoyed it.

He performed all of his own automotive repairs, as he had been trained and worked as a mechanic prior to his fireman days, and taught me to do the same. He and I spent a lot of time working on my '49 Power Wagon, and I remember him lobbying my mom to let me get it in the first place (I lived with my folks at the time). A few of you have met him, some at the 1998 Iowa rally. I have a photo of him handing logs to Clint Dixon while Clint performed his log-splitting demonstration at that rally. He always wanted to help, and that's just the way he was.

He also did all of his own home repairs, and did much of the work of building his and my mom’s current home with his own hands during his retirement years, working 12+ hours a day, even in the 105-degree heat. He was an avid football fan, and a woodworker who made beautiful wood turnings and other works of art. He even dabbled in home brewing for a short while about 20 years ago. Even though I saw him accomplish these things with my own eyes, I still find it incredible that he did so much.

During the last 20 years or so, he was afflicted with a disease that caused his muscles to slowly deteriorate. Despite this, he enjoyed life and was very productive around the house and in the community. He still maintained the positive, uplifting attitude that had carried him through life. He really enjoyed life and made everyone around him feel good and consequently had many close friends. He lived a long, full life of 86 years, and even though I knew he wouldn’t be around forever, his absence is hard to take, and I will really miss him.

Thanks for letting me talk for a bit.



Follow Ups:



Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:
Subject:
Message:
Optional Link
URL:
Title:
Optional Image Link
URL:


This board is powered by the Mr. Fong Device from Cyberarmy.com