My mom informed my sisters and I that she wanted at least one of us to speak at my father’s funeral service.  I was very angry with her for putting that kind of pressure on us.  I had tossed around the idea of saying something prior to this, but wasn’t sure if I was strong enough to write it… and definitely not strong enough to deliver it.  While I was upset that I felt forced to do it and didn’t have enough time to prepare it, I decided to put my selfishness aside.  In the end, I’m glad that I did it… I would have regretted not paying tribute to the man who made me what I am today.

Through tears and a squeaky “I’m trying not to completely lose it” voice, here’s what I said:

The fact that you’re all here is a testament to what a wonderful man my father was.  But to his girls, he was much more than that… he was the center of our universe.  He did so much for us – he was always our “go to” guy.  He loved being in that role.  When he came to visit us he was greeted with a long project list, which kept him happily busy for the whole week while we whisked Mom away to the mall.  All you ever had to do was mention you were just thinking of buying something new like a camera, and he quickly passed along more research than you could possibly use to help guide your purchase.  My sister once made the mistake of buying a vacuum cleaner without consulting him and she never heard the end of it.  We turned to my dad for advice, repairs, research, guidance, and support on so many things.  We didn’t always like his answers, but we knew he was always right.

My dad had a lot of interests and talents.  He was an avid golfer who loved his golfing buddies as much as he loved the game.  He was also a good cook.  Many of his recipes had the term “Dad’s World Famous” in front of the actual recipe name.  It was a self-awarded title, but usually deserved.  My dad was the biggest Ohio State Buckeye fan ever.  We learned early on to avoid the house whenever the Buckeyes played football.  Our mild-mannered father usually spent those few hours screaming at the tv at the top of his lungs.  We also loved to watch movies together as a family.  At Christmas, he would come home with a huge stack of videos for us to watch.  I could never tell if he really had the worst taste in movies, or if he just had fun watching our reactions as he tortured us with his selections.

My dad meant so much to so many people over the years.  He was a good friend to many, a fair and respected boss, an involved member of the community, and a loving and dedicated family man.  My dad was someone I always looked up to.  He was smart, honest, kind, and had a great sense of humor.  Nobody can ever compare to him or fill his shoes.  My dad will continue to influence me and guide me in all that I do.  He will be greatly missed by us all, but he will always be with us in our fond memories and in our hearts.

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