My Dad had a passion for vehicles, mostly American made. He had the ability to look at older vehicles and tell you the year, make, and model by something as little as the shape of tail lights the car had. Somehow he knew all the minor details of each of them from as far back as I can remember. He enjoyed working on them, cleaning them, and driving them. Finally in 2011? he succumbed to buying a foreign vehicle, a 2007 Nissan Altima, providing us all an opportunity to ridicule him for not buying American. He loved this car and all the bells and whistles it came with, especially the key fob that allowed for a push button start/stop. Over the last couple of years, this key fob and its' twin became a major consumer of my Dad's time. He was either looking for one or both of them, or working on them.

One of his most notable skills was his ability to take a problem and solve it. Whether it be puzzles or job related he had a knack for solving the impossible. In some ways he was like a McGyver, making  something out of nothing.

He was a rough man, very stern and to the point. I always knew there was a heart in there, it just wasn't necessarily the first thing you saw. He had a hard time expressing his  feelings with us kids so he would use our Mom to deliver those nuggets of praise or admiration. It wasn't until we were adults that we really came to understand and appreciate him. He was human and made plenty of mistakes along the way, but from these we all learned. I have two wonderful brothers and a very sweet sister because of his love. Our family is close and always there for each other, no matter what. My Mom and Dad are in the middle of that.

Even though my dad wasn't real affectionate with us kids he was with my mom and in the end he did show that she was the one and only love in his life and equally for her.  It goes to show how much we all need each other right to the very end.  I feel lucky when I look at my brothers and sister and know that each of us has that special someone at our sides living out all of our days.

He was loved and respected, and will be truly missed. For my mom he always be the "only one".