Honor your Dad

[SLUG]

sory to hear about your loss. before december i had the privilage of working with my dad for 2 1/2 years. he had to lay off some people in his department(a week before christmas) and he decided to let me go( my mom told me he felt like crap and was in a bad mood for like a month after). in some ways im glad he layed me off, but , i miss being able to see him every day and have just that one more thing in common. i think im closer to my dad than anyone else in my family. i think my dad has done a good job of raising my brother, sister and me. he lost his father when he was 3 years old. his mother was a c*nt. who beat him and he never had a steady father figure. my dad is my hero and i hope that i can be as big of a good influence to my two boys as my father has been with me. i dread the day when he is not there.

[Bowtie Bomber]

Man, I'm sorry for your loss, may his memory always be with you.

As for me, my dad and I in my younger years didn't have a good relationship.. we always argued and I usually got my butt torn up a lot. Mainly because I was a hard headed little *bleep*, lol. And it really got bad when he wouldn't let my spend time with my grand parents. He was an (and still is) a hard working Iron Worker and never had a lot of money, my step mom never worked outside anything than a dominos pizza. So eventually the fights got bigger and me and my brother ended up moving in with my grand parents who had the money to support us and give us a good childhood.

Miraculously, in high school I just fell in love with cars. I loved the American Muscle scene and I knew if I got a first car, it'd have a strong American V8. Well, there was an old beat up '82 GMC in the back of my dads back yard. I asked my dad if I could have it and fix her up. At first he told me that I wouldn't want it, that it was too beat up. Well, me being hard headed just as much as him, I convinced him to let me have it.

He threw me the keys and told me to take his battery and see if she'll turn over. And that puppy started right up after I poured some gas in the carb.

Ever since me and my dad have been working hard on it and now it's getting to the point of completion. And during the time we spent the most time together than we ever had. We'd go to car shows, the yearly thanksgiving swap meat in Daytona, it's became our tradition. And also I helped him on his 1965 matching numbers 396 Impala.

I think it was devine intervention when I became a car guy. It brought me and my dad together. I see him almost every weekend and he always tells me storys of his old muscle cars, he was a big time AMC guy with a 360 AMX Jav that would chirp threw 3rd.

And I told him something that he always wanted to hear, that I was proud he is my dad. And I am. So guys, whenever you get the chance, tell your dad that you are proud of him, it goes a lonnnng way.

Sorry for that long post guys. 

[hotrod24]

my dad is a hard worker to i do not know what i would do with out him

[Steve Crum]

Man I feel for you and your family. I buried Mom and Dad 7 years ago this month. Dad was my stepfather. My father passed away when I was 16 months old although I am his legacy to this day. Dad has been Dad for the past 47 years. Dad was a 39 year old bachlor farmer with some said had a bit of a mean streak in him. I was well kept in line in my early years and have always been the b**tard stepchild as far as his side of the family was concerned. During the summer of my 12th year something funky happened with my glands and I shot up about 6" and put on 60 lbs. Same sized pants only too short. One Saturday morning we were cleaning out under the hefers and for some reason Dad saw fit to crack me across the nose with a pitchfork handle promptly breaking my nose. if you've ever been hit in the nose you understand that all sense and respect are gone and the kill instinct kicks in. I picked Dad up by the front of his shirt and threw him across the certer eisle into the drop on the other side. before he could get up I was on top of him. Luckly two hired men who had watched the whole thing unfold pulled me off. After that little fiasco we had a profound respect for each other and the random knocking around's that I was quite accustomed to never happened again. Dad and I worked elbow to elbow for 37 years and if you were foolish enough to tangle with one, you got a pair. Dad even gave me 6 acres of land on the old farm and his 84' K-10 with the 454 and 4 speed, although I'd be most ashamed if he could see it today (the truck).
I never knew my father but I've been told we were cut from the same mold. I knew my Dad. I'm sure when Dad got to where he was going, my Father shook his hand and said thanks.

[Lt.Del]

Many years ago I discovered this song by Chet Atkins.  It'll yank the water right out of your eyes....
Give it a about a minute or two to download, it will begin to play automatically....It was his tribute to his dad... Chet Atkins, "I still can't say Goodbye" from the cd "C.G.P."

Let it play in the background, while you read some of these memories.

www.delbridge.net/chet.mp3

[bigblock73]

Don, sorry to hear about your father.  You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.  Hang in there.

[1976Scottsdale]

My dad is in his forty's now and has decided to quit smoking.  I am very proud of him and have been happy, with a couple exceptions to deal with the mood changes and cravings.  I caught him laughing when I threw two of my friends out of our house because they would not be respectful enough to not light up.  I think he sees that I am basically a clone of him and that I care about him over even my closest friends.  Don I am so sorry for your loss and hope that you are doing okay.

Kevin.

[Jakes82]

imsorry to hear that... i couldnt imagine bieng without my dad hes my best friend. HE bout me a 70 chevy pickup that was our project truck..... we still havent finished it but it will get there aagain sorry

[crazedhick3]

I lost my dad on the 26th.  10 month battle with brain cancer.  I thought that at least having knowledge of what was coming would be more comforting than losing him all of a sudden.  And it was up until about a week after.  Then it all hits you.  Everything you see reminds you of something.  My first deer.  My ball glove.  My 3 kids.  The farm.  The tractors.  Looking at the cell phone with each ring hoping to see "DADDY"  in the display.  One of the last American Farmers.  Almost time to get the crops in the ground and there is all that equipment sitting idle. I would love nothing more than to quit my job tommorrow and continue where he left off.  That would go against one of his orders, "Aint no money in this **!! boy, Go get  a real job."  heck, he would ask about the weather all the way up to the day he could no longer put a sentence together.  So even rainy days will hold a different meaning.  Then theres that dang truck.  He said this past summer "What the heck are you doing?  You wont ever get that dang thing back together!"  This coming from a man who never, in my lifetime, owned a new vehicle.  So, yeah Pop, you are probably right, I may not ever get it back together.  But if I do,  I know you will be right there riding shotgun in MY hunk-o-junk.