ah...what to say...my dad passed along today. i am grateful for the good in him. i choose to hold him in the light, and cherish the good times. "i love you" were the last words i heard from him - words i heard millions of times since i remember knowing what those words meant. i love you daddy for introducing me to God in the back yard at east st. in ipswich when you threw your arms around a maple tree. i love you daddy for the artistic talent you passed along to me. i love you daddy for showing me how to weld "chopper" bicycles. i love you daddy for making us kids go-carts with a lawnmower engine and some scrap parts you found at the dump. so much more i simply cannot write through the tears in my eyes. thank you for your service to our country, and for being part of a long line of family members who chose to be of service our great nation...

i am beyond words in gratitude for my sister and linda who opted to have dad pass in their home, the place he called home for the last several months, and during his final days. they provided not only a sacred and safe space, but spent the last 10 years or so providing him with a living space, meals, and scheduled visits with nurses and doctors, and more so than that, unconditional love and empathy. i don't know any women any stronger. you are amazing role models for your own children, and i am proud to call you family.

also, thank you to gary millow for being my dad's friend for a long time, and in his final days. you loved dad as your own, and you always impressed me with your genuine concern and love for my dad. i love you for that and am also proud to still think of you as my brother.