Dad

My Dad passed away March 29th after a long battle with Parkinson's. He was 90. I'll miss him a lot.

He was the best father I could imagine having. He was a kind gentle man who didn't preach but lived his life as an example that I can only aspire to.

I remember observing and helping him build electronic projects. I learned to use tools, and work on the car. He never talked down to me, he was a wealth of knowledge and inspired my love of technical things. And German cars!

One of his great loves was building and flying kites. He's the only person I know who has built a complex parafoil kite from scratch, it flies great. I remember flying huge box kites with him on windy days in Colorado. The kites would pull so hard they'd break one-hundred pound test line. He wore heavy gloves and I think that the harder the kite pulled the happier he was.

When I got older and started sailing my Dad would crew occasionally. He wasn't what you'd call a natural sailor, but he would come along anyway just to be with me. He was my very first passenger when I got my pilot's license. He loved flying and always encouraged my aviation career. We went to a lot of air-shows and fly-ins together, including Oshkosh and Sun-and-Fun.

After my Dad retired, he and my Mom traveled the world. It seemed like they were always going somewhere. They took tours, cruises, and went to a lot of Elder-hostels together. Between his military career and their post retirement travels my parents have covered most of the globe and collected many treasured memories.

My Dad loved card games and was a very competitive bridge player. My parents played regularly and made many friends playing bridge.

Some time ago my Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's. Over the years his condition got worse and worse. Eventually he had trouble walking and started to fall. Trips to the emergency room became regular and my Mom became unable to care for him without help. We moved him into the assisted living facility.

At the very end my Dad went into Hospice. He left this earth with dignity and without pain.

I was flying a trip from Frankfurt when he passed, I got home late that night. When I saw my Dad before I left I didn’t know it would be our last time together. He wasn’t doing very well. Most of the time his eyes were closed and he wasn’t very responsive. He was weak and barely spoke.

As I was leaving I gave him a kiss on the top of his head and said, “I love you Dad.”

He perked up and said, “I love you too.”

Those were the last words we spoke to each other.

My Dad lives on now in our hearts and in our memories. I know that I’m a better person for knowing him. I’m proud to be his son. I love you Dad.