My Dad

My father died 25 years ago to the day. Every September 2, I silently mark his death by remembering him and thinking about what he would think of me now.

I was 26 when he died, he was only 61.

I was still a kid. I didn’t have any direction yet of what my career would be. I had been married for three years and had about as many jobs in the field of sales.

My father was a successful salesman and made a good living for his family. Little did he or we know that his life was at its end.

My father was a funny guy and like me he was subject to moods. He would head out Monday morning and come back all happy or sulky depending on his success that week. If only they had Prozac back then.

I marvel now at how he would have enjoyed and used cell phones, laptop computers, the internet, the weather channel (he loved weather and snow), and all of the fine dining establishments that have come to the south in the past 25 years.

He loved golf and I would give anything to play a round with him now. I used to caddy for him on Saturday morning but I never played golf while he was alive.

My father was a navy man in WWII and served in the Hawaiian Islands during the war as an airplane mechanic. We used to laugh about that because he was as mechanical as I am. We couldn’t fix a lawnmower, but somehow he did an excellent job and was promoted as far as an enlisted man could go.

My father was the number one sales man in his company for decades.

My father loved to laugh and he always gave me great advice.

But the biggest thing I remember and regret is I never verbally told him that I love him. We just didn’t do that back then. I don’t know why. How foolish was that? I guess I though he would be around and I would find the right moment to unabashedly say, “I love you Dad”.

I sure tell my mother and sisters now that I love them.

I love you Dad, and I miss you. Your memories play over in my mind like you were here yesterday.

6 comments:

Ali said...

I wish so much that you would have been able to have your father with you longer.
He sounds like a great man, and I'm sure some of who he was has been transferred to you.
And even though you may not have told him aloud that you love him, he knew.

Big hugs from me to you today Reggie.

Logzie said...

Very nice tribute to him Reggie. He sounds like a great guy and from what you wrote about him...you sound a lot like him. :0)

Anonymous said...

Your love for your dad is obvious. He knows it now, even though you never had the chance to tell him.

Unknown said...

Thanks for that Reg. I just learned more about my grand father than I ever knew before. I wish I rememered him.

Reggie Hunnicutt said...

You would have liked him. He was a fun and funny guy.

I feel that I knew his father even though he died long before I came around. My dad told lots of stories about his dad. His dad was a pharmacist in Raleigh and Durham.

Anonymous said...

Reggie, You know this post made me cry sitting here at work. Yes he was the best Daddy anyone could hope for. He did know that he was loved by us all. He said that in the letter he left us to be read when he died. He said in the letter that he loved us and that he KNEW we loved him!