Eulogy for my Father

My father Passed away on the 2nd of January.  I find myself at great peace with his passing because of his long battles with COPD and Heart Failure.  For 12 years we have walked with him through ups and downs.  He was finally ready to let go and be at peace.


My father was born in Cincinnati, Ohio May 11, 1933 and so began the life of the man that the people gathered here today were proud to call friend, great grandfather, grandpa, papa, uncle and brother. My brothers and I, simply called him dad.

There are at least two things you will know about my father because they were dear to him and by extension are dear to all of us here gather to celebrate his life. He cherished his friends and he loved his family. Often times, these elements would combine with his permanent on-stage humor and provide our greatest memories of him.

Even as the owner of a company with all of its required paperwork, planning and “officiality”, my dad’s truck was always running at the door. Sure it was for climate control, but interestingly enough, it serves as a sort of metaphor for how he lived his life. From as far back as I remember, if you asked my dad where he was going in the truck it was “Checking Jobsites” Checking jobsites was a rather open-ended term that did indeed mean checking jobsites, all day, every day, but more importantly, it was the next small journey to meet with the world. The world with friends, family and strangers who would soon become friends.

Friendship was important to my dad. You couldn’t just be a customer, employee, partner, agent, developer, banker or supplier to him. You had to be a friend. Friendship had a duty. He rose every morning at 5am and started the day’s planning. He worked 7 days a week from his myriad notebooks and was on the phone constantly juggling critical schedules and balancing the money. He knew he was not just providing for our family, he felt duty bound to all those who depended on the success of his business and was glad of it. These were his friends.

My dad dearly loved belonging; especially to the Lions club. In Each, he looked forward to every meeting and more so to each project. He was even honored as “Lion of the Year” and I know how proud he was that his friends recognized his personal efforts to improve the community. My father’s long time high school friends John Kuppe, Don Lemm, Jack Krause and their families will be donating a memoriam to the Lions club in dad’s honor. What a fitting tribute.

Dad was a Sportsman; but to truly understand his devotion, you must know that my father never; ever did it alone. Quite simply, the outdoors was something which needed to be shared to be valuable. And share he did. Many cousins, friends and of course my brothers and I owe our love of hunting, fishing, and outdoors sports to the time and care dad took to making it special. Through example (and sometimes direct quote) he exemplified respect, proficiency and excellence. In turn, we have all engendered his respect for the sport and respect for the tradition.

My dad was strong, hard working and obviously entertaining to the whole world, but he was also devoted to his family. He had a personal, individual and cherished relationship with all of his relatives. They have all played such an important part in my dad’s life. If I were to wrap it all up neatly, it would be so many memories of laughter and food. If he was not providing one, he was providing the other or both. And man there was a lot of food. May we never forget that the 4th of July is meant for Teriyaki Steak

Dad had a special relationship with his grandchildren and those, like me, who have them , often say, “if I knew they would be this much fun, I might have had them first.” He was such a kid around them. I enjoyed hearing the grandchildren’s stories from last night . Mostly, because I know how much dad enjoyed making those memories.

My First hero has passed on now. With the love of our families and friend, my brothers and I will carry on his memory. We are proud of him, of all that he was, and all that he accomplished.
We are most proud to say one thing - He was our Dad.