It was unexpected to receive a call at 2pm Sunday January 26th, 2025. It has only been four weeks since my phone started ringing off the hook. Since my aunt told me he was gone to call my grandfather, my mom was on the line on another phone and was able to tell my sister. When I called my grandfather, he said – your the beneficiary for his insurance and the ‘ball was in my court’ – meaning he was not going to help me though this. Thank god I have an amazing family. My sister and I were never close with our fathers family but it was still shocking.
Thank god my aunt had called his sisters, there are seven of them. It has been a whorl wind since then, calling coroners and dealing with funeral homes. I made his video and did the eulogy. That helped deal with what was going on but honestly I think I just glazed it over since I had done Nanny’s and had a template set up. We cried a couple times looking at the photos. The old fart, he wasn’t the best man but he did have qualities to love. He had to face his own demons and just wasn’t strong enough to love his family the way we deserved.
It does pain me that all he had to do was control his temper, we were worth it. When I look at my baby, and see little me or my niece and nephew and see my sister in them. It’s bittersweet because we were worth it and I am so glad we didn’t follow those footsteps.
A friend asked me if he did better than his parents and well, after old things stirred and I think back, I believe he did. I choose to believe it because there no longer a way to prove it. I would rather see the best outcome. He did make sure we were always taken care of even in death, we have had no issues with getting his things. All the paper work was there.
I can hear him calling us by our middle names and telling us to pick our nose. He was so weird haha. That is the part of me I am proud to have, my goofiness. RIP Dad, see you on the lake.