Father's Day

This Father's Day, I have been reflecting on memories of my own father who passed away when I was 14 years old. I always knew that he was a wonderful man, but it wasn't until he died that I found out how wonderful others thought him to be as well.

Dad was born on March 27, 1918 and was an avid fisherman and hunter. He grew up in Wayne County Utah so we would spend a lot of time in Bicknell, his hometown, because it was his favorite spot for his favorite activities. Of course I was raised on venison, elk and trout, so to this day, I love those foods! We would stay at my grandmother's house in Bicknell and I was always struck by how good my dad was to his mother. He set such a good example for all of us about the importance of honoring his mother. He didn't have the privilege of knowing his own father because he died when my dad was very young, but he always treated his mother with love and kindness.

Dad had quite the workshop in his garage, which he built himself I might add, and he would always be out there tinkering on one project or another. He acquired an old boat and brought in all the Venture Scouts to refurbish it. They completely gutted and reconstructed the entire boat! I remember how proud those boys were with what they accomplished. At one point, dad decided he would love to have a pop up camper, but couldn't really afford one. His solution? Build it himself, which he did! He even sewed the canvas tent all by himself!

He was such a gifted man, not only in carpentry and electrical areas, but musically as well. He played guitar completely by ear. He could play any instrument you put in his hands after a few minutes of "tinkering" with it! It was his singing voice though that mesmerized me. He sang like a cross between Eddie Arnold and Jim Reeves. He was so good in fact that when he was in WWII, his captain, a music producer in civilian life, offered him a recording contract. My dad declined because he felt his music was something he did for himself, but that didn't stop his captain from hounding him for many years after the war.

My own personal interaction with dad will always be cherished though it was relatively short-lived. When I was younger, I was very small and petite and my parents actually thought I would stay that way, so they enrolled me in all the things petite girls do....ballet, gymnastics, etc. I was very good too! I was on the gymnastics team in junior high and we would practice very early in the morning. My dad would wake me up, fix me breakfast and we would talk together during this quiet alone time. He would then take me to the school for practice. Along the way, he would honk at Chuck who ran the gas station and Chuck would wave back. This was their morning ritual. At my dance recitals, my dad was always front and center with his 8mm camera at the ready! He would smile the broadest and applaud the loudest!

I have far too many memories to list in this blog, so I will cut to the chase. I thought I knew what kind of man my dad was, but what I knew about him barely skimmed the surface. I later found that he had earned the Distinguished Flying Cross in the war. Grunt's Military gives the criteria for this award as follows: "The Distinguished Flying Cross is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the Armed Forces of the United States, distinguishes himself by heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. The performance of the act of heroism must be evidenced by voluntary action above and beyond the call of duty. The extraordinary achievement must have resulted in an accomplishment so exceptional and outstanding as to clearly set the individual apart from his comrades or from other persons in similar circumstances. Awards will be made only to recognize single acts of heroism or extraordinary achievement and will not be made in recognition of sustained operational activities against an armed enemy." How dad came to receive this medal will always be a mystery because he would never speak of his war experiences and anyone who had knowledge of the events didn't survive Midway...where the events likely took place. There are no records either because of the fire in the National Archives in St Louis in 1973. (2011) Distinguished Flying Cross, Grunt's Military, retrieved from http://www.gruntsmilitary.com/dfc.shtml.

At his funeral, we learned many details about events none of the family ever knew. People would come up and relay a story about some selfless act he had rendered them or a family member or friend. There were tales from acts of service to outright bravery. His funeral was held at the stake center in Kearns and the chapel and all overflow facilities were full as well as the lobby. Parking went as far as the eye could see up and down the three streets surrounding the building. With this many people in attendance the stories went on for hours.

One such story was how dad, an electrician by trade, was called in the middle of the night because an elderly widowed woman's heat had gone out in the dead of winter. The company wanted him to go on the call first thing in the morning, but dad would not allow the woman to suffer through the night. Once he had repaired her furnace, he refused to take payment from her. She and her grown children all came to pay their respects and relate the experience to my mother.

When I was very young, I remember dad coming home with bandages on both arms all the way up to his elbows. When asked what happened, he shrugged it off and said he got burned a little at work. It wasn't until he died that we learned the details. He was working at Bennet's Glass and there was a power struggle going on between two foremen. One of them had the circuits off to enable him to work on the power lines. The other one didn't bother to ask why the circuits were off and decided to turn them on again. The foreman on the lines was literally being electrocuted! My dad stepped in and pulled him away, injuring himself severely in the process.

Because this is becoming an extremely long entry, I would just like to finish up by saying that dad was a very humorous man and people loved his wit. He was well loved by everyone who knew him, but most especially his family. I look forward to the day when my children will meet their grandpa on the other side of the veil.