I like the thought of looking forward to months of joy and happiness. I will not take this away from anyone. This day however for me is a reminder of my father who passed away many years ago on this day.

His Early Beginnings

My father grew up in upstate New York in a small town consisting of a couple hundred people. He was 1 of 9 siblings and was the second born. He was the first son to my grand parents. The gang consisted of 5 girls and 4 boys. Even though he wasn't the oldiest he was the big brother to all of them. He attended elementary school in a one room classroom with other students of various ages. As he got a little older he worked in the family restaurant.

Military

My father like his father entered into the service. He enlisted in the United States Air Force and served for six years. He did time in Michigan and Korea. He was a cook during his tenure. Probably wasn't very hard for him to accept this because he already knew plenty about it from working in the family restaurant. I had the pleasure of meeting some of his military brothers long after he got out.

First Civilian Job

He got on as a meat packer for a big meat packing plant in one of the larger cities in New York . From accounts from other family members he was a hard worker. He only worked there for about a year before being promoted to a foreman. He ended up working there for about 8 years until the plant closed. I guess his fame followed him because he was offered to run the shipping and receiving department for the same company half way across the country. He accepted and moved there with my mother.

Moving and My Childhood

Going from being in New York to South Dakota was different. This was in the early 1970s so a lot of culture things back out East were not a thing in South Dakota yet. Also population wise South Dakota as a whole is smaller than many large cities.

I was my parents first born followed by 2 sisters. I also have two older brothers from my father's first marriage. Some of my earliest memories with my father was when he got off of work and played with me. It may have been assisting with putting some Legos together. My father did everything for us kids he just loved to keep us laughing and often took us places on the weekends. I can remember him leaving town for about two weeks when the meat packing plant was on a strike. He had to find a suitable job to support his family. When he came back it was like Christmas. He had bought us kids tons of stuff. As I got older and got into sports he was at almost all my events.

From when I was 10 I almost always went with him. This is when I really got to see who my father was. He was not only a good father and husband but a great friend to others. He was a volunteer fireman for the local town I grew up near. So he had lots of friends. He would give the shirt off his back to help those in need. He helped people fix their cars, help others with home projects, and numerous other things.

The last few years were hard for me. He had back issues and had a few surgeries but I really don't think any of them gave back his mobility. He was inside a lot and couldn't do much physical activity. As a boy that was 12 I just wanted to play catch but he was in no shape to do so. I could feel he wanted to but just couldn't. What we did get to share was him teaching me how to drive. I kind of became is taxi driver to bring him to his friends or to the bar. I was with him all the time though. Going to bar was fun for me actually because he was so generous with his money. He would ask me what I wanted to eat and if I wanted to play any of the video games. He would often give me more change than I needed and would never take it back from me even if I offered. He would get drunk but he was not a mean drunk.

The Last Days

He was diagnosed with lung cancer about a year before his passing. This was heart breaking news I cried often at nights thinking I could lose my father at anytime. He was mentally there almost the whole time up until about two weeks before is death.

He passed on a Friday at about 6:30 P.M. he was only 51. For a long time I thought of my age at the time because it was a number scramble of my age, 15. I was in my football uniform getting ready to play a varsity football game. I was pumped full emotions and was in attack mode. The coach calls for me and I see my best friend's father next to him. The coach tells me the news. I feel my legs buckle, my heart stopped, and everything just seemed to just shut down. I was brought home where the rest of my family was. I hugged my mother and sisters then went into mourning my father's departure. I found out later that the coach told the team and dedicated the game to my late father. They won the game 22 -6.

This was a hard time for me as it would be for anybody. I was out of school for a week. My mother took us on a vacation to Mount Rushmore. When I returned to school it was hard hearing friends and teachers giving thier condulsences. I was in hard place for quite some time but I eventually got back to being a teenager.

Final Thoughts

So every 1st of September I think about the life of my father. I haven't shed a tear for quite some time about it but writing this article I did. Maybe I just thought about it more than I normally would. I am the person I am today because of my father. I learned a lot from him. I also do not smoke and hardly drink so I can hopefully be a father for longer for my son

Thanks for reading and all of you enjoy the coming days and months.

Lead imagine from unsplash