My Father's Passing...



Many of you are aware that our family experienced several losses after Paul and I began 
our sailing adventure.  A grandson, a brother-in-law, and then on August 9th, my father Henry.  On the day he passed, I was out on the deck of TQT photographing humpback whales, one came extremely close during the moment my father left us.  I was able to fly back to the East coast to say good-bye to my dad (his burial was two weeks ago today) and be with family and friends.  I would like to share with you the eulogy I wrote for my dad.

On behalf of Cora, Bernadette, and myself, I'd like to thank you all for coming out today to say our final good-bye to my dad. My dad was one of those guys that always appreciated a good joke, considered his friends as family, and knew the value of a hard days work. Many of you know that I moved to Alaska right after high school, so most of my fondest memories of my dad are from my childhood. There is a time period many of us referred to as Dad's “AC/BC years,” (after Charlene, before Cora). This is when he spent my formative years as a single dad. He often worked double-shifts to help take care of me, and that is when I learned about extended family! Many of our friends and neighbors helped to make sure I had a place to go after school while he worked. It's comforting to see so many of your faces here today, and please know it was always appreciated that you were there for me, us. In trying to be one of the cool dads, he let me stay up late to play my Atari on weekends, he boogie-boarded with me and all the other kids on Beech St., and in trying to keep with the times, once brought home a “Breakin' in the USA” VHS cassette so we could learn how to breakdance. I'm not sure if it came with a giant cardboard box, but when I came home from school, all of the furniture was moved, and the box lay flattened in the center of the room. He'd been working all day on how to do the windmill...I think he almost got it down. When I was around 13, dad was blessed to meet Cora and she filled that void in his life. A beautiful beach-wedding sealed the deal and they spent the next almost 30 years enjoying cool adventures together such as visiting Las Vegas, sailing on their sailboat, riding his Harley, and caring for all of the different animals that entered their lives over the years. One summer when I visited, Dad took me on a ride on his Harley and we rode to Aunt Lolly's house in Elmont. Over the loud roar of his engine, he kept asking me something, but all I kept hearing was “To Hell with the Fig!” I would reply with a “YEAH” thinking it was some sort of rebellious biker term. It wasn't until we got to Aunt Lolly's that he goes “so, did it fit?” And I was like “what are you talking about?” He replied “I kept asking if the helmet fit.” Of course this turned into an instant family greeting and inside joke. During the latter years of his life, dad's health became more of a challenge and as he and Cora still took care of each other, many of their friends and family stepped up to the plate to help with rides, errands, repairs on their home and such. I can tell you that we are all eternally grateful for those of you that helped them. So, godspeed Dad. Thank you for all the fun times, barbecues, family vacations, and cool trips. Find peace in this journey home,

and to Hell with the Fig!

I love you,

Debbie


           



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