Family Friday's...My Dad

My Dad Loved....

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  He had a firm testimony of its truthfulness.
• His family (and wouldn't he just love all the great grandchildren)
• John Wayne ("I haven't lost my temper in forty years, but pilgrim you caused a lot of trouble this morning, might have got somebody killed... and somebody outta belt you in the mouth. But I won't... I won't... The *hell* I won't!" 
• The Right to Bear Arms (I'm sure he has a smile on his face right now!)
• The Constitution
• America
• His conspiracy theories (and he had us second guessing people, places and events on several occasions)

Fun Memories of Dad...

• The summer of 1979 when Matt was 6 and Tiffany was 4 we came home on a surprise visit.  We hid behind the door when he came home from work.  Mom asked him "Guess who's come to visit today?" His reply, "Chris and the kids!" I have never been sure whether he was tipped off or not. He did seemed surprised though.
• An extended family camping trip during the summer of 1972. We were in a motor home travelling through Europe, where he assured us that "he could get us around all the countries we were visiting without a hitch."  First stop was a petrol/gas station in France..."Help, I am an American and I need petrol!" Those were his famous first words upon meeting someone who didn't speak English.  Peter was asked several times on that trip if he was hitchhiking with us.
• His 75th birthday.  We had planned a surprise birthday party for him and throughout the morning we made one excuse after another as to why we couldn't stop by with his presents but would see him the next day. The shocked look on his face when we and loads of people walked through David's patio door to the backyard shouting "Happy Birthday!"

Dads career's....

• "My daddy works in da sewer"
• He worked for the Salt Lake Hardware Company  (I point out that big red building to whoever is in the car when we pass by there)
• He served in the National Guard and was stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia for 6 months. That was a very eye opening experience for me as an eight year old in the South in 1960!
• He worked for the State Road Commission and we were one of the first people to drive on the I15 between Bountiful and Sandy.
• He was a personal helper to Santa Claus several Christmas's
• He worked for the LDS Church and traveled around the world and because of his assignment for three years in England he acquired an English son-in-law and a baby daughter from Wales.
• Towards the end of his life he took up writing, OK, recording his life story for his family to read.

Although it seems like forever ago...

Next week, on March 2nd, it will only be 6 years since the early morning sunlight shone through the window of my parents bedroom, and my dad slipped peacefully and quietly from this life to the eternities.

Until we met again...