Eulogy for My Dad

These last couple of years have been very difficult and painful, not only for my dad but for those who cared for him. I don’t think my dad ever came to terms with my mother’s death, and for a man who worked so hard and cared so much, it just didn’t seem fair. I have often asked myself, “Why?”

But what I DO know is that all those years of growing up, my dad showed me that we live on, both in our work and our actions. Our spirits as well as his, will always live on in our hearts. And every time we hear the wail from a fire truck, we’ll know he’s there, watching over us and protecting us, from somewhere up above. Free from this illness that filled his body and free to rejoin his wife, and those who came before him, in a wonderful place far beyond the stars.

I know that in the last few years, my dad had often wondered if people really noticed the extra effort my dad put into his work. Was it all really worth it? Look around you, dad. There is not a soul in this room, or a person who knew you, whose life you have not touched. And we are all better people because of it. And the world.. is also a little better place, because of you. 

Thank you for being my hero. Thank you for being such a wonderful dad, whose footsteps I will never be able to fill. Thank you for showing us that one man CAN make a difference.

This is a sad time but also one to celebrate the great man you were. This is just a temporary good-bye. The end of one journey now begins another. Until we meet again, I will miss, I love you, and I am proud.. so very proud to be your son.