Saturday, October 27, 2012
Well my sweet brother, that was such a beautiful eulogy for our Father yesterday and in so many ways you remind us of our dear Father. It is obvious in your similar appearances within the family photographs we shared and viewed over the past few days and in the many traits and mannerisms that we as Sister's would only notice..I know Daddy may not have shared this often with you, but he did tell me that he was always so proud to have you in his life and to have a son that turned out to be the wonderful husband and father you have become. I know he would want you to know that again..
So today I wanted to share with the family some reflections that we put together about our Dad. About the husband that he was to you Mom and the Father that he was to all of us...First and foremost, Mom it could never be so completely clear to all of your children how deeply Daddy loved you and how devoted he was to you...He loved you more than anything that he had ever known (even more than your spaghetti and meatballs or raviolli soup) And no one took the marriage vows more serously than Dad "to love, in sickness and in health, til death due us part"...He showed and shared those deep and devoted feelings for you Mom in so many ways throughout his life and to the very end of his life. It showed with the daily phone calls from work he would make to you, just to say hello, the way he chipped in with the household chores when you were tired or sick and needed his support. The moments of affection, the hugs the kisses, and the many words time and time again of how much he loved you and how you were the best women, wife, and mother of his children he could ever ask for...You were his Life, his Love and his Best Freind. We know you felt deeply the same way about him and your love for each other created a beutiful family and memories that we as your children will remember and cherish forever.
As a Father, Daddy was deeply devoted to all six of us..We know he wanted to provide the best for his family, and worked hard every day of
his life to make that happen for us. ..When he wrapped his hand around ours as children, we knew he would safely take us across that street or anywhere else in life that we needed to go with his guidance....And when we were sick, we knew he would get us better...Even when he took all 6 of us for those crazy driving lessons...we knew we would somehow make it home alive, without jumping a curb or crashing the car.
When Daddy was reflecting on his life, he always spoke with a sense of awe about you Mom and all of his children. How proud he was of each of us and how good we were to him. He went as far to say , "I even like everyone of my son-in-laws and I love my daughter-in-law." Daddy taught us about the value of working hard and being honest...and certainly the value of a dollar...no one knew how to cut a coupon or save a buck better than our Dad...And although we were not a family of wealth, Dad's management to stretch the dollar afforded us summer vacations in LBI and many wonderful holidays rich with family tradition and memories that no money could ever buy or build. ...He taught us how valuable family memories can be and how important traditions are to make with our own children.
Over the past several years we knew how diifficult it was for you Mom to see his body and mind begin to fail.. We felt the same pain and sadness as his children. We all desparately wanted to hold on to man and father that we only knew as strong and of healthy mind. But despite Daddy's battles of illness, no matter whether you were his wife, his daughter, his son, a grandaughter or grandson we never doubted his love for us ...He would often say when first seeing anyone of us, "I know you" with love in his voice, a sparkle in his eye and his lips puckered up for one of those precious kisses..
Daddy gave us many gifts, that molded each one of us to become who we are today, and in the end he gave us the greatest gift of fondly remembering a husband, a farther and a grandfather that made us laugh, and made us feel loved even in the last days of his life.
And although we are all deeply saddened by the loss of his life in our lives, we will always cherish what he meant to all of us as a devoted husband, father and grandfather. May you rest in peace Daddy and know that we loved and appreciated you with all of our hearts .....I love you Daddy and wanted to thank you for all that you did for me and all that you taught me in my life...I will miss you terribly ...
