September 5, 2019
My Dad was born July 6th,
1956 in Queens, New York. Eventually he would land himself in San Diego, Ca,
where he met my Mom, LeeAnn. They’d soon be married, have me, and later part
ways. My Dad spent most of his work-life working as a Civil Engineer for the
Air National Guard in San Diego. He was a dedicated employee who loved his job
and made a lot of close friends through out his time at the Air National Guard.
He was a dedicated father who helped make me the person I am today: stubborn, yet fun, responsible and loyal. To this day, I still hear his voice telling me “your word is your bond, don’t ever break it”. He also taught me that if you aren’t 10 mins early, you’re late, but I’m still working on that one =)
Growing up, I spent a lot of time with him on his boat the “Roxane II”, going to the boat races, playing pool, and going bowling. We used to play video games together and have movie nights where we usually watched Tales from the Crypt. He even planned me a pretty cool 21st birthday in Vegas, just the two of us. This was our life – it was fun, and simple.
On May 7th, 2011, he was in a life changing motorcycle accident. He suffered severe damage to his brain, legs, and lungs. The Doctors told me he probably wasn’t going to make it out of the ICU and that if I took measures to save him, he’d likely never talk again and wouldn’t remember me, or anyone/anything. Clearly, they didn’t know my Dad. My Dad is a fighter and is stronger than anyone I’ve ever known.
My dad made it out of that ICU and within a few months, he was talking and knew exactly who I was. He also knew who his friends were that came to visit him, even if he couldn’t say their names at first. We celebrated 8 birthdays, Christmas’s, Thanksgiving’s, Father’s Day’s and countless laughs and smiles in those additional years together. I am most thankful for this extra time him because he was able to be a part of my wedding day and ‘walk’ me down the aisle as my Step-Dad pushed him in his wheelchair.
In May 2019, he suffered a fall which ultimately lead to his passing on September 1, 2019. Even in his last few months, he continued to amaze nurses and doctors with his will to live; he was a fighter until the very end.
I have faith that my Dad is once again enjoying riding his Harley up in the clouds. When I hear Thunder, I'll think of it as the uproar from his tailpipe as he drives by to check on me. I will forever miss him and will do my best to live in his honor.
Rox~
He was a dedicated father who helped make me the person I am today: stubborn, yet fun, responsible and loyal. To this day, I still hear his voice telling me “your word is your bond, don’t ever break it”. He also taught me that if you aren’t 10 mins early, you’re late, but I’m still working on that one =)
Growing up, I spent a lot of time with him on his boat the “Roxane II”, going to the boat races, playing pool, and going bowling. We used to play video games together and have movie nights where we usually watched Tales from the Crypt. He even planned me a pretty cool 21st birthday in Vegas, just the two of us. This was our life – it was fun, and simple.
On May 7th, 2011, he was in a life changing motorcycle accident. He suffered severe damage to his brain, legs, and lungs. The Doctors told me he probably wasn’t going to make it out of the ICU and that if I took measures to save him, he’d likely never talk again and wouldn’t remember me, or anyone/anything. Clearly, they didn’t know my Dad. My Dad is a fighter and is stronger than anyone I’ve ever known.
My dad made it out of that ICU and within a few months, he was talking and knew exactly who I was. He also knew who his friends were that came to visit him, even if he couldn’t say their names at first. We celebrated 8 birthdays, Christmas’s, Thanksgiving’s, Father’s Day’s and countless laughs and smiles in those additional years together. I am most thankful for this extra time him because he was able to be a part of my wedding day and ‘walk’ me down the aisle as my Step-Dad pushed him in his wheelchair.
In May 2019, he suffered a fall which ultimately lead to his passing on September 1, 2019. Even in his last few months, he continued to amaze nurses and doctors with his will to live; he was a fighter until the very end.
I have faith that my Dad is once again enjoying riding his Harley up in the clouds. When I hear Thunder, I'll think of it as the uproar from his tailpipe as he drives by to check on me. I will forever miss him and will do my best to live in his honor.
Rox~