Seven years ago today

[jbmaine]

My dad passed away. He was 90 years old. I still miss him terribly. Mentally he was still sharp as a tack, but his body was just worn out. His passing was not a surprise, he had been in hospice for a couple of weeks. I couldn't have asked for a better father. He was a WWII vet and always worked hard to support mom and us kids, but made time to take me fishing, hunting, all the things I liked to do. The last thing he did for me was to hang on and not pass until today, because yesterday was my birthday, and he made sure I would not always remember my birthday as the day he passed.

 

 To all of you whose parents are still here, I can not urge you enough to take every day with them as a blessing. To spend time with them, to talk to them about anything and everything. It was only after my dad passed that I realized all the little things about him and the family I never thought to ask. My wife and I will look at old family pictures, and I go to tell her about them and realize I just don't know. There are so many things about my dad I will never know, so many stories he could have told me that now are lost. Please! Please! take the time with your parents. Don't wait, don't put it off.

 

This is one of my favorite pictures Even as a little kid I had the fishing bug. I was too young to "really" fish, but they gave me a toy fishing rod and dad would take me out around the lake so I could "fish". This was around 1956 and I still have memory's of it.

[K_Mac]

Thanks for sharing. It takes me back several years to when my father passed. He was a couple of years older than yours. He was also a WW II vet. I look at your picture and see me and my pop circa 1959. 

 

One of my favorite memories is of fishing with my dad a few years before he passed. We fished a powerplant lake that had a good  population of bass. It was a perfect day. My dad caught several bass in the 15-17" range. Trying to convince him that they had to be 18" to keep was fun. He came from a generation where releasing anything with that much meat on it was unthinkable. I finally had to tell him we could buy a  lot of fish on the way home for what it would cost to keep illegal fish!

 

I would give much to go fishing with him or my brother who has also been gone for several years. Your advice about taking the time with loved ones is painfully true. Thanks for the reminder. I'm sorry for your loss. 

[Oregon Native]

Sorry for your loss.....

My dad was also a good good man.  He's been gone a number of years and was painful to see him go through dementia.  I remember him saying a number of times it's just good to be out here.  (he wasn't a very good fisherman) But he truly enjoyed getting away from all the honey do's.

[Shane Y]

Good story sir. Sounds like your old man was a heck of a guy. 

[Bankbeater]

I'm so sorry for your loss.  My dad taught me how to fish, and when he passed away four years ago I kept his hard baits, and a couple of his rods and reels.  When I go fishing and use them it reminds me of all the good times we had on the water.

[N Florida Mike]

This choked me up as it reminded me of my dad -   The Best man I ever knew. 

He was almost 90 when he passed. 

Taught me to fish , play baseball , and the important things of life. Nothing but good memories.

Thanks for sharing memories of your dad with us

So sorry for your loss.