For those of you who have been following me, you know that I recently lost both of my parents. Last month I posted a tribute to my mom on Mother's Day. I hope you will once again indulge my nostalgia as I write a tribute to my dad on this first Father's Day without him. He was such a happy, hard-working, stalwart man, and was a tremendous example to all who knew him. He was healthy and happy to the end. At age 95 the only medication he took was a low dose thyroid pill.
My dad was genuinely happy
You rarely saw my dad without a smile on his face, and you would often hear him whistling as he went about his work. He was introverted by nature, but he had a quick wit and a subtle humor that would catch us off guard making us burst out laughing. He was a peaceful man who wasn’t easily ruffled. He didn’t worry about things. He thought worrying was a waste of time. He would say, “there’s no need to suffer over something that might not even happen.” Another of his sayings was, “as long as you are always trying your best to do the right thing, everything will work out in the end.”
My dad valued hard work
My dad grew up in Kanab, Utah during the depression, and times were tough. He worked hard from a young age. As a young boy, he grew corn to pop and sell in front of the movie theater, and he sold hand bills to help earn money.
Starting at age 9 he worked alongside his dad on their ranch. His dad kept cattle on the Kaibab Forest. They would put their cattle up on top of the Kaibab in the summer and move them down to the range below in the winter, which was a drop in the Grand Canyon area of up to a mile in elevation. One trip, at the young age of 11, he had to return home to Kanab by himself, a two-day ride.
In the 1930s many westerns were filmed in Kanab. Some of the locals were hired to be extras in the movies. My grandpa did the hiring, so my dad got to be in several westerns of the time.
He worked hard in school, spoke at his high school graduation, and received a scholarship to college. During WWII, he served our country as a tool designer at Lockheed Aircraft, then later in the Navy.
After my dad married and had children, he wanted to teach his children the value of hard work, so he built a miniature golf course that my older brothers could run. Later when my sister and I came along, we also worked at the golf course, sweeping the fairways, weeding, or working in the club house. I learned how to count back change when I was 6 years old.
My dad was a man of honor and steadfastness.
My dad was a man of his word, and he made no apologies.
He was a man of faith. During the energy crisis in the 1970s, an ecclesiastical leader asked members to walk more to save gas and conserve energy. Out of a desire to be obedient and conserve energy, as well as to be healthier, my dad started walking the three miles to the university where he was an accountant. He walked in the rain, in the heat, in the snow, in sub-zero temperatures. Even when the crisis was over, he continued to walk to work until he retired, almost two decades later. When I was in high school, I walked with him. He carried my backpack and we would walk and talk. He walked fast and I would often have to jog a bit just to keep up.
He regularly gave advice, and he lived as he taught. My dad felt there were only 4 reasons to go into (temporarily) debt: 1- Education, 2-Business, 3-Your first modest car, 4-Your first modest house. Otherwise, if you couldn’t pay cash for it, you didn’t need it. He would say, “You can either pay interest or earn interest, always be someone who earns interest.” He certainly lived this. He was a frugal man who didn’t feel the need to impress anyone. He paid off the home where I grew up in only 9 years, then he saved and later paid cash for their nearly 5000 square foot dream home.
My dad valued continual education
Since he worked at a university, he could take classes for free. He regularly took classes to keep learning and improve his skills. He also had a great library of books that he regularly read.
After he retired, he took up painting and became a great artist. He especially loved painting about his days in southern Utah. These are two of his paintings that I have hanging in my house. I imagine my dad and his dad in the second picture on one of their many trips to the Grand Canyon.
I am so grateful for the wonderful life my father lived -- happy,ever learning, and stalwart to the end.
Thanks Dad. I love you!