No matter how you knew my father, or how long you knew him, how lucky we all were to have known such a humble and considerate man.  Loosing someone as special as my father isn’t easy but the memories we have are strong and the love that we shared will last forever.  Today, we celebrate his life by remembering the good times.

Dad had a heart of gold and he shared his wealth every day of his life.  He was happy to be able to give to his family and friends.   He especially enjoyed giving away items that he made himself.  I know many of us here own a cabochon pendant that my dad handcrafted from a rock and some might have a stone that he tumbled or a geode that he cut and polished.  He also enjoyed giving away his homemade jam that he and mom made together from the fruit that they picked from his own garden.  Receiving a homemade item from dad was very special because they were made and givin with love and joy.

Dad was a generous and compassionate guy who wanted to take care of his family and friends and his kindness will not be forgotten.  It was obvious how much he was appreciated and loved by all the support that my parents received during these past few months.

I’d like to thank family members and friends who stepped up to lend my parent’s a helping hand with things around their property like trimming all my dad’s fruit trees, mowing down weeds, dragging the road, painting the house and the garage, driving my parent’s to doctor’s visits, spending the day or night with my parents, and just being there for them during a difficult time.  

Dad was very fortunate to have had the most wonderful and caring nurse and soul mate that someone could ever ask for.  My mom has been so strong and amazing.  She would agree that they were fortunate to have each other for 50 amazing years of marriage and we celebrated their golden anniversary in November.  Together, they have 4 children, 7 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. 

Mom and Dad loved traveling, and most of their vacations included family or friends.  Their travels covered the Western States, Alaska, Hawaii, Azores Islands, Haiti, N. & S. Carolina, & some National Parks.  When we were kids, we used to spend every summer at the cabin on the Merced River near Yosemite where we enjoyed swimming & lying on the beach with family & good friends. 

Speaking of good friends & traveling, dad had a good time in Colorado while hunting Elk and Deer with his buddies.  When he was younger, he hunted abalone along the ocean shores and more recently, he enjoyed fishing with Chuck & Manuel at Rim Rock Ranch.   His latest adventures were shared with mom and friends on rock hounding expeditions with The Salinas Valley Rock & Gem Club.

Growing up with my dad meant learning how to hunt & fish.  Dad taught us all how to safely shoot a gun and took us hunting for deer, quail, and wild boar on the ranch. He also taught us how to skin a deer, gut a fish, and kill a rattle snake.  We even made deer jerky together.  One time he bar-b-qued a rattle snake and told everyone it was rabbit so we would all try it. That was a dirty trick.

Dad loved pulling a good prank and one his favorite pranks was to hide his fake but very realistic looking coiled up rattle snake in a place where he made sure somebody would find it.  He sure got a kick out of watching our reactions as we jumped out of our skin or screamed when we found that silly snake.  He would really crack up about it. 

We sure were some lucky kids. Dad took the family camping when I was little and when I got a little older, he bought a boat and taught us how to water ski. He also taught us how to bowl and how to play Pedro, which is a card game we play during the holidays with the family.  It made him happy when we were able to beat him at it because that meant he taught us well.  He was even happier when he beat my Aunt Carolyn at cards because she’s a wiz at them and he liked to win a good challenge, especially when he went up against his sis. 

Dad was an intelligent man.  I could turn to him to help me with a speech or ask him the meaning of any word and he always knew it.  I think his extensive vocabulary came from all those books he read and he read a lot of them.  Besides books, he enjoyed watching a good western or 49er football games. 

Dad was an easy-going, down-to-earth, cool guy who always saw the good in people. Dad tried to portray a tough exterior but those of us who knew better, knew he was a very sentimental person and he loved giving and receiving the mushiest, most meaningful cards for any occasion.   It didn’t take a lot to make him happy, just something as simple as a good steak served up with a nice big baked potato.  He believed in working hard and taking good care of his family.  He was an admirable man.  He will be missed but we will treasure the time we spent together and the memories we shared. Dad…you are forever in our hearts.