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| Dance w/ Daddy my 45th class reunion |
- A faithful husband.
- My dancing Daddy. I learned to dance standing on his feet & looking up to him. He taught me not to look at my feet because that could cause me to stumble. A biblical analogy I adhere to even today, knowing not to look down on my circumstances (or I might lose my way/footing) but to look up and focus on the face of my dance partner, my heavenly Father, who will lead me.
- A loyal friend. Daddy would always fill-up at Rudy's Texaco even if it had the highest prices in town because Rudy was his friend. It helped that the attendants pumped the gas because Daddy never pumped his own gas.
- A man of courage who fought for his country in WWII & was wounded in the isle of Leyte in the Philippines, though he rarely talked about it.
- A man with a great work ethic, regardless of the pay. His first job paid $19 a week. Daddy worked until September 2010, retiring at age 87.
- A man of consistency. His methodical routine defined him. We all knew his schedule. Post off ice at 10 am. At 11am he would be "walking for exercise" (at the mall in his later years) at 3 pm he would be standing on the porch of Hopkinsville Livestock waiting for the school bus to drive by so that he could wave at his granddaughters, Polly & Allyson, and at 9 pm he would be peeling his nightly orange. On Sundays he would be at the First Methodist Church sitting in the pew---back row of front center section on right hand side.
- A man of few words. A wise man. A man of understanding. Did he know his character reflected scripture? A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered. (Proverbs 17:27)
- A quiet, gentle man. I never heard him raise his voice.
- A "gentleman" as well. In his final weeks, he wore a monitor so that he wouldn't stand alone and lose his balance. In the dining room the monitor alarm sounded constantly as Daddy stood every time a lady came to his table.
Daddy died 7 years ago today.
"Daddy never said anything bad about anyone and no one said anything bad about him."
His character is etched on my heart. My hope is that the next generations, his grandchildren and "great grands" will consider the character of their Grandaddy Brud and emulate it as they remember him.
Disclaimer---I am my brother's favorite sister, I just happen to be his only sister.
