Prayers please for my dad
- Thread starter hickslawns
- Start date
OO2
Well-Known Member
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Phil..... So sorry to hear this... God Bless your Dad.. It gets easier as time goes on, but you'll never forget the great times you had with your Dad. You'll find he'll be in your thoughts and close to your heart each and every day. My Dad passed in 1992 and there isn't a day goes by without thinking of him. I still find myself sitting against "his tree" on days during deer season, chatting with him... Dad, you and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers...
Iowa_Buckeye
Smartest person here
Well that was a long day. Tomorrow is the funeral. Day will be shorter. Hearts will be much heavier I am sure. My younger brother was by my side all day. My wife on the other side. Mom on the other side of my brother. The influx of people was overwhelming. Never did see outside but I have zero doubt the parking lot and street were full. 2-4 viewing became 130-5pm. The 6-8 showing ended up being 530-10pm. People waited in line over an hour. Outside of a few well known locals and high school kid funerals, I'm not sure I've seen people wait like this before. They were wrapped around like they were waiting in line at an amusement park. Guess you could say Dad was responsible for touching many lives.
Seeing Dad was okay. It was how I expected him to look. I knew what to expect as we were there with Mom to make arrangements. There were no surprises. I walked in and went straight to the casket. After taking my time there I began to look at flowers, throws, wind chimes, etc. I got a little teary. Then I saw one from lifelong friends. We would ride dirt bikes with the father and son. They had a flower arrangement which had a dirt bike and Triumph motorcycle weaved into the arrangement. This is where I lost it. I had to back away. Then my brother walked around the corner. All I could do is hold him and sob like a baby. That is bull shit. I'm supposed to be the one there for my "little" brother. Goes to show, God knows what we need at all times. At that moment, he knew I needed my kid brother to be strong for me.
Speaking of flowers, I'm a little surprised. No, I am not surprised you guys sent flowers. For that I thank you all. They made me tear up too. What surprised me was the very touching message. I sorta figured you guys would have written something like "Sorry for your loss, fugger." :smiley_crocodile:
Thank you my friends. Thank you my extended family. Those flowers really moved me. They moved my mom, brother, wife, and even my sister commented on them. I am very glad to know you guys. I am blessed to call you my friends. The gesture means more to me than you know. Much love to you all!
Seeing Dad was okay. It was how I expected him to look. I knew what to expect as we were there with Mom to make arrangements. There were no surprises. I walked in and went straight to the casket. After taking my time there I began to look at flowers, throws, wind chimes, etc. I got a little teary. Then I saw one from lifelong friends. We would ride dirt bikes with the father and son. They had a flower arrangement which had a dirt bike and Triumph motorcycle weaved into the arrangement. This is where I lost it. I had to back away. Then my brother walked around the corner. All I could do is hold him and sob like a baby. That is bull shit. I'm supposed to be the one there for my "little" brother. Goes to show, God knows what we need at all times. At that moment, he knew I needed my kid brother to be strong for me.
Speaking of flowers, I'm a little surprised. No, I am not surprised you guys sent flowers. For that I thank you all. They made me tear up too. What surprised me was the very touching message. I sorta figured you guys would have written something like "Sorry for your loss, fugger." :smiley_crocodile:
Thank you my friends. Thank you my extended family. Those flowers really moved me. They moved my mom, brother, wife, and even my sister commented on them. I am very glad to know you guys. I am blessed to call you my friends. The gesture means more to me than you know. Much love to you all!
From what I read on here and saw on Facebook I expected nothing less, Phil. Your dad touched many lives and raised a great son. Still keeping you in my thoughts, brother.
It started 2 months ago. Grieving began when my father was very sick and truly not the dad we knew growing up. We will be okay. Thank you friends. You are all the best!
Not sure how but my brother and I both spoke at the funeral. My sister spoke as well. We made it though and so many people commwnded us and thanked us for sharing our stories.
Church was full. Wow. What an impressive showing of respect for dad! He has been laid to rest. Cousin Bubba, myself, and several cousins sipped on some good whisky last night. Today, most family members drove home. Mom already started cleaning up some things. She wants the attic emptied so she doesn't need to go up there for Christmas stuff. My brother helped. I came over here and just chuckled in disbelief. This is mom being mom. She never stops. I hope she doesn't overdo it. Next few weeks and months will be hard on us all. Again, many thanks to all of you reaching out.
Church was full. Wow. What an impressive showing of respect for dad! He has been laid to rest. Cousin Bubba, myself, and several cousins sipped on some good whisky last night. Today, most family members drove home. Mom already started cleaning up some things. She wants the attic emptied so she doesn't need to go up there for Christmas stuff. My brother helped. I came over here and just chuckled in disbelief. This is mom being mom. She never stops. I hope she doesn't overdo it. Next few weeks and months will be hard on us all. Again, many thanks to all of you reaching out.
Big_Holla
Senior Member
It has been 2 weeks since Dad passed away. Hard to believe. Overall, I believe my family is doing okay. Those who saw me over the weekend can (hopefully) confirm. I know I had plenty of moments speaking of him. In all fairness, I did the last 2 years as well. He was a big part of my life. Just a more somber conversation this year. Had a couple moments I felt pretty blue. The ride home was a little more blue this year. In years past I would have called Dad to relive the weekend of shooting and riding. Even when dad couldn't trail ride anymore due to open heart, he enjoyed hearing about my rides or races. I couldn't have that conversation this year and it hit me.
I honored dad by wearing some of his gear over the weekend. It felt good feeling like I took him along for the rides. Here is a picture: dad's 90s era jersey and fanny pack, 80's era chest protector and pants, some gloves and a kidney belt of his. His older helmet wasn't available because the inside was falling apart. His most recent off road helmet was just too big and safety was still a concern of mine. His boots were too small and mine offered more protection than his old boots anyway. Still, I wore as much of his gear as I could and it brought back many memories. Most of which I kept to myself. The old yellow nylon rope inside his fanny pack and a Wayne National Forest trail map (likely from the late 80's to early 90's era) rode with me all day. Dad's XR600 always had a tow strap because he was the tractor/tow bike if someone got stuck or broke down. Hope Dad enjoyed the ride this weekend. I'm sure he is smiling as I write this up.
Thanks for being there for me guys. It means a lot.
I honored dad by wearing some of his gear over the weekend. It felt good feeling like I took him along for the rides. Here is a picture: dad's 90s era jersey and fanny pack, 80's era chest protector and pants, some gloves and a kidney belt of his. His older helmet wasn't available because the inside was falling apart. His most recent off road helmet was just too big and safety was still a concern of mine. His boots were too small and mine offered more protection than his old boots anyway. Still, I wore as much of his gear as I could and it brought back many memories. Most of which I kept to myself. The old yellow nylon rope inside his fanny pack and a Wayne National Forest trail map (likely from the late 80's to early 90's era) rode with me all day. Dad's XR600 always had a tow strap because he was the tractor/tow bike if someone got stuck or broke down. Hope Dad enjoyed the ride this weekend. I'm sure he is smiling as I write this up.
Thanks for being there for me guys. It means a lot.