Happy Father's Day

August 1, 1976

Dad age 44, me age 16 and my daughter Kym 1-1/2 weeks old

My dad is a wonderful man. All of my life he has been my hero. Dad was an only child and grew up on a farm while living in Pennsylvania, and after he and my grandparents moved to Washington state. Dad joined the Air Force while he was in college during the Korean conflict and spent the war in Japan as an airplane mechanic. All of his life he loved airplanes and instilled that love in me, too.

When I was a little girl I used to take turns with my siblings taking my dad's work boots off after he came home in the evening. I remember him sitting in his chair with the newspaper after dinner. Dad worked long hours. He was self-employed as a house mover. Whenever he would be moving a house by my school, my teacher would let my class go stand in front of the school and watch as he moved the house by. I was so proud of my dad!!

My parents were active in my church when I was growing up. Mom taught Sunday School and helped with Vacation Bible School. Dad was an usher and drove one of the church buses. He did all the maintenance on the both buses also. Dad worked long hours and he would get up about 4 in the morning and sometimes come home for dinner and go back to the shop to work on a truck as needed. Some early mornings I would slip downstairs and sit quietly with him at the kitchen table as he read his Bible and prayed before starting his day. To this day, I enjoy getting up about 5 in the morning to do my devotions, too.

July 4, 1982

My sister Lyn putting an icecube down my dad's shirt.

Dad has a sense of humor and unless he is mad, he is usually smiling and laughing at something. He has a very soft and kind heart and helps everyone he can. He can take a joke, too. In the above picture it was so hot that 4th of July, the icecube down his back was actually welcomed! Note the bow on Dad's forehead in the picture below.

December 24, 1986

My sister Lyn age 27, brother Les age 22 and Dad age 55

When we were growing up, Dad would often play Bible Drill with my sister Lyn and I. He would call out a Bible book, chapter and verse and Lyn and I would race to see who could find it the fastest in our Bibles. Whoever found it first got to read the verse.

I love my dad and he is one of the reasons I moved back to California from Iowa 9 years ago. I wanted to be near my parents. I love our talks over the back fence, or when they come over to visit us or we go over to visit them. Mom and Dad have been married 52 years. My mom stayed at home and took care of us 5 kids while Dad worked. He was a fantastic provider (and Mom a great budgeter!). We never went without anything we needed and we had plenty of toys, books, and such to keep us busy while growing up. We always ate at the kitchen table for our meals during the week, and the dining room table for our Sunday after church meals with Dad present at all meals (except, of course when he was moving a house during the weekdays!).

Now that Dad is 'retired', I am glad that I get to live near him and see him more often. My dad is very active at the age of 77. He still gets up early every morning and either works in his shop, around the house or still helps move houses with another housemover here in the county. My dad is a young 77 and last year told me that he couldn't be 76 because in his head and heart he still felt 26.

August 1988

Dad and Mom

I LOVE YOU DAD!