On your birthday Jack we remember and love you so much. We remember the fun times and many holidays spent with you and kathy and family. I was looking at the great web site John set up for you and reminising about your life. it was a very full one and you touched many in your 72 years. We all treasure the time we had with you. Please say hi to Aggie and Hank and Pattie up there. I bet you;re all having a blast!           Love forever  Mike, carol Todd, Dan and Nicholas

My Dad is and always will be bigger than life.  You always knew Dad was present whether he was cracking a joke, using one of his many Jackism's or getting a rise out of you.  I will miss our clashing of opinions or his silly jokes.  He always talked proudly of his family to everyone and anyone he came across.  I was known as his #1, Sugar bowl or the The Bandit. He often told me "you are the only one I know who can go into the desert and come out with a cold glass of water".  This phase also applied to Dad.  I will cherrish his "Bigger than life Presence" and will try to model myself after my Dad's attitude on life, family and being friendly to everyone.  When someone says to me, "you are definitely Jack's daughter" I will take this as only a compliment.  I am proud to be Jack's daughter and love him dearly! I love you and will miss you in many different ways! Love, Terese

Love you very much and miss you a whole bunch!

"Are you doing a walk through, you can find that in aisle three."

"Skip, get your head out of your butt and go make the eagle!"

"When you leave for college, the bed stays here."

"Live by the pipe, die by the pipe!"

"Skip, how much do they pay you to color?"

"Did you check your oil and tire pressure in that rice burner?"

"Waiting for my ship to come in!"

 

Jack was a genius. He devised a way to create a heated swimming pool in his own back yard without using any energy. He ran a garden hose over the garage roof and let the sun heat it up and when the water ran through it was hot!
Jack had some great names for things. As an example when Jack was in a bus accident and had a huge incision that needed dressing changes he called the dressings "blow out patches" and his wound "love canal".  Jack was a good accordian player. One Easter Sunday at our home he and  Mike played a duet together, Jack on accordian and Mike on guitar.  When Jack was ready to go home there was no stopping him. He'd say "come on Kath let's go"( my daughter in law reminded me of this today) and then as usual Kath would say her goodbye's while Jack waited in the car tooting the horn periodictly. Jack loved Watson's sponge candy( the milk chocolate variety, not the dark chocolate) and he would put reminders on facebook before Christmas and Easter so that I would see them and get some to send to him. We are going to have some tomorrow as I'm bringing a box in his honor. A smile comes accross my face when I think of Jack. He was larger than life and he made us all smile.  We all love you Jack  The Dowlings

 I remember meeting with Dad and Mom Healy to ask for Michele's hand in marriage. He said " If not an Irishman, a Polak will do".  

I remember running downstairs, seeing Dad sitting on the reclyner as I anxiously asked, "Do you have a plunger"?  Dad gave me directions to locate several plungers. Who has that many plungers?  Anyway- the look on his face when I asked him for a plunger , while wearing no socks with my pants rolled up to my knees.  He must have thought I was crazy.

 I was a mere child then when I heard about his accident, from Michele. Once I heard the story, I instantaneously thought of Dad as having super hero qualities. And the family as super heros as well.  I have always respected Dad and yes have recieved pearls of wisdom.  I relish the time helping Dad into the car. Dad talked about being worried about Mom and how "if you take care of the boss, you take care of yourself". I liked pulling up the windows, and talking about playing poker. Dad and I played poker in a restaurant. I was out in literally 45 minutes. Dad played for another hour. It was cool routing Dad on. Dad knew his shit! For the first time in years playing, he kicked my ass and many others.

Having lost my own father years ago; I have enjoyed the priviledge of having such a caring father in law. I honor Dad's acceptance of me and job I am doing as a husband and father. If Dad thought that I sucked, he would have told me. His approval means the world to me.

I will miss Dad's wittiness, and our witty combats. I will miss making him laugh, as laughter is, to me,the best gift, and medicine.

Dad, like the song says, "You did it your way".  I will always love you and admire you.

Bobby/Tom

My dad always had something to say (even if you didn't necessarily want to hear it at the time).  He was a very social guy and would talk to just about anyone that was in ear's range.  Even the day he went to the hospital we had AAA come out because his car needed a new battery.   He struck up a conversation with the guy that came out to change the battery!  He was asking him where he was from, where he got his jacket from, and so on.  In the ER he was asking the nurses about themselves and would yell out hello to patients and hospital staff walking by. Right to the end he was still sharing how he felt about things, even when he couldn't talk much he could still flip the bird to you if he didn't like what you were saying!

Every time I called him he would say "#2 I was just thinking about you "  or " we were just talking about you" and " you have a lot on your plate".  I know you are all familiar with the "Jackism's " we all heard through out his life.  Here are a few I remember, please share any I missed.

"I have a full deck" (when all 5 kids were together as adults"
"the Boss"  (Mom) or "Joan" ( Mom again as in Joan of the Arc)
Bobby (Tom as in Bobby Vinton the Polish Wonder)
"The 3 L's ( Jack , Madi and Nate)
"My Cloan" (Nate)
"I have a big cross to carry " or " You have a big cross to carry"
"Old age sucks!"
"What am I an Orphan" (if you weren't giving him what he wanted at the time)
"This isn't a circus" ( If you were watching him to closely)
"get me a soldier" (a beer)
"we have paradise right here" (meaning our own back yard when we would whine that we wanted to go somewhere as kids).
"take a long walk off a short pier" (self explanatory)
"get your head out of your ass"
"go make the eagle"
"I got a lot on my plate" or "you got a lot on your plate" or "please put more on my plate"
"be seen and not heard"
"I am limited Bobby"
"Will you rub my feet"


How can you forget:

*How he had the girls at the gas station bring him his lottery tickets out to the car.
*He secretly owned stock in AAA , let's just say they knew him by name.
*How he created his own return policy at stores... 10 year old microwave, a wet mop that mom was just using to clean the floor and my favorite a piece of meat right from the dinner table back to the grocery store!
*The rubber band that was always around his wallet, the keys on the stretch key chain, and the chewed gum floating in his drinks.
*How he could touch the tip of his nose with his tongue" (even if you didn't want to see it).

I love you dad and we are all going to miss you in many ways.  Mich
.

I can see the car parked in the driveway like it was yesterday.

"Car pool"--the yard was so small the pool covered most of the driveway. 

Jack liked tipping back a few soilders and obviously didn't want to contrbute to our underage drinking ..hence the lock on the beer fridge in the garage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6FhdhkabU8&list=PL924F9932DB80EF69

My dad

A funny, charming, and courageous man. I am proud that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I am told that I am a lot like my dad. Dad always did things his own way, which is my creed too.

My dad passed away around 7:00 am, on a day that I will always share with him. Up at 7:00 am, I was greeted with a "Happy Birthday"! Within the same moment I learned my dad passed away on my birthday.

Dad always joked with me about how I had to share a bathroom and my birthday! I am honored and lucky to share that day with my twin, Jackie and now dad!

Here I sit at my sister Michelle's table looking out at snow that fell. I have to laugh to myslef, snow in North Carolina! Dad always made the best of Jackie and I celebrating our birthday in Buffalo. We were always guaranteed a blizzard or Tim Hortons donut or two.

Now I have all these memories of sharing my birthday with Jackie swirling in my head. One memory was going car shopping with my dad after the blizzard of 77. The country squire wagon that became a neighborhood favorite while we came down the street. Trips down to Florida with a a big green box on top allowed the whole family to stretch out for the long journey. Good times!

I love you Dad, see you on the flip side!

John