Dear Dad,

            To our Beloved Husband, Father, and Grandfather. You were loved in so many ways but nobody loved you more than your wife, children and grandchildren.  You were a wonderful husband to mom.  You told her you loved her every second you got and always made sure to give her a hug and kiss everyday.  Dad, you were her heart, soul, and body.  You were everything to mom and you loved her more than words could express.  Actions speak louder than words and it was the small things you did that showed mom truly how much you adored her.  You rubbed her legs when she was in pain, you gave her Tylenol when she had a headache, you always turned up the heat whenever she was cold, and you always brought her a glass of water to bed every night.  Whose going to do all that for her now, nobody could ever take care of momma the way you did.  You will always be in her heart for the rest of her life.  She will love you until the day she dies.

            Your other greatest joy in life was your children.  You loved us all so much.  Brenda was your first baby and she will always remain your baby girl.  The song you danced with her to on her wedding day “I’m everything I am because you loved me” truly is the way Brenda feels.  She’s who she is today because a wonderful father like you raised her.  Dad, even after she got married and Ray was with her, you would still always walk her out to her car and you would stand outside and wait until she turned the corner.  She would always say “Dad its cold, go inside” and you would say “I’m not going inside until I see my baby leave.”  You cared for Brenda so much.  You always told Candace and me “I hope when you get married that you find a man like Ray.”  Ray only got the chance to enjoy five years with you but you treated him like a son.  You would get so happy whenever he came over because you knew you could use him as an excuse to drink.  You will always be remembered as a great father to Brenda and Ray, they both love you so much and will miss you dearly.

            Dad, whenever you saw me you would say “Hi Miss America, I love you baby girl.”  You always had the biggest smile on your face.  Every morning you would scrape the snow and ice off my car.  You would come outside in your pajamas and robe and do it.  Who’s going to help me when my car gets stuck in the snow in our driveway?  You would always yell at me and say “Why are you so skinny.”  You made me smile everyday.  You were my light, my joy, and my happiness.  In my eyes, there is no father out there better than you.

            Candace was your precious baby.  She’s going to miss you so much.  Whenever you needed help with anything around the house you would always count on Candace to help you.  You would say, “You’re stronger than Vivian, you have muscles.”  She always loved helping you, she never complained about it.  Everyday you would say to her “Just be happy, don’t worry about anything.”  Well, she was happy everyday that she got to spend with you.  You loved to watch your Jazeera every night.  You would say to Candace “Is it 11:00 yet, its my turn to watch the TV.”  She loved you so much babba.  Every week Jido would bring the Jareeda home for you and he would tell Candace to take it home for you because he knew how happy it made you to read it. Candace will always be your baby girl no matter.  You were #1 in her heart and its always going to stay that way.

            Vincent and Kevin always looked up to you.  They admired the husband and father you were.  They saw the hard worker you were providing for your family and that’s the kind of men they are today.  You were there father, your two sons wanted to be just like you.  They wish they could take this pain away from mom.  They promised to take care of mom so please don’t worry dad.  Your sons are going to do everything they could to make sure mom is taken care of.

            You were the best Jido that your grandchildren could ask for.  The boys made you so happy.  Not a day went by that you didn’t hear their voices.  Everyday you would ask “Is Roman coming over.”  You would call the house and ask Roman how many balloons he wanted.  You would always bring home a red and blue balloon for the boys.  Whenever the phone would ring, Preston would run to phone and say “Jido, Jido.”  They all loved you so much and will forever miss your presence.  You never wanted to see them cry, it would break your heart every time you would see their tears.  All three of them will forever remember what a great Jido you were to them.  I truly believe the last three years of your life have been the best three years you have ever had.  Roman, Preston, and Julian brought so much laughter and happiness to your life.  They took away any stress you had and nothing else mattered but them.  Brenda, Candace, and I promise you that they will never forget you.

            Dad, you also loved Rayda and Alyssa like they were your own daughters.  They will also miss your presence and will forever love you.  You always loved having them at the house and enjoyed hearing Rayda’s stories. 

            So many people loved you.  God took you from us too early.  You will always be remembered as a great man and wonderful role model to others.   You have a heart of gold and everything you did was done out of the goodness of your heart.  You will always live in our hearts and our memories with you will always live in us.  You will always be missed but never forgotten.