One of the television stations/programs/morning shows were running a contest to fly a father & child out to New York. I entered your grandpa because even tho I know he is enjoying his eternal reward w/ our Heavenly Father God, I wanted him to be recognized by others on earth as well... I didn't win the contest of course, but thought I'd share the submission with you anyway. Love you!
Hello!
I'm sending this to you in case you decide to do a memorial to special dads as well. My father & I cannot join you in NY, tho he would have thought that neat. He passed away on Halloween 2006, of an aggressive melanoma which attacked his brain.
My father, my daddy, was Bill. He was a godly man, loved the Lord, his family, his friends, his church. He was my best friend. When I was little, he introduced me to a love of roller coasters. When I was tall enough, he "tricked" me into riding my first upside down loop coaster. I was too scared to try it - and I loved it, and it became my favorite coaster as an 8 year old! He loved to bowl, and would take me with him on league nights, to explore and play at the alley. After he played, we would pick up a pie to bring home to Mom & my little brother. He worked for years to get the alleys he played in to ban smoking, and when they wouldn't, he quit the league in protest. He took up golfing, and became pretty good! (I would like to point out that now, bowling alleys are smoke-free. Because he, and ppl like him, fought for it.)
As I got older, he would come in to my room sometimes & just say, "let's go!" We would go on daddy-daughter impromptu adventures - to a random store out of town, to a lake for fishing. He took us (Mom, brother and me) to Iowa Hawkeye games and concerts and amusement parks. When I was in college, he & my mom became foster parents, and he would take the kids on impromptu trips to "show them the world." Well, the world you could reach on a tank of gas, anyway! : ) One night, I made a flippant comment about Wayne Newton being at a local venue, and that it would be neat to go. The night before the concert, he called to say he'd "just happened by" the ticket office & picked up a couple. : ) He would do things like that for everyone, because making us happy made him happy!
Daddy was involved in church, on the board and the head of a youth program called Royal Rangers. He made sure those boys got to the campouts and things, even if he had to pay their registration fees himself. He had a heart for young boys, wanting to teach them they didn't have to join a gang, or treat people disrespectfully in order to be "cool". He taught them about the Lord, and he taught them about holding themselves accountable for their actions.
There is so much more I could write, but I'm sure you have a lot of submissions to go through. I miss my dad, my best friend, every day. I know he's having an awesome time in Heaven, tho!
Sincerely,
Carrie
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