Tribute to Dad

We had Kaleb Nierman put together a CD for us of pictures of Dad throughout his life, and set it to a couple songs. It turned out really well and we played it at Dad's services. Last week I took it into work and showed it to our palliative care team and to some other folks afterward. I was not prepared for the immense pride I would feel for my Dad is sharing this video with others. I would show it to just about anybody who would watch it, despite a few of the photos in there of me, including one with the classic 80's hair. If I can figure out a way to post it here, I will. I was so proud of my Dad, who he was, and how he lived his life that I feel like I am literally bursting at the seams with pride. So many people who knew Dad have commented on what a gentle, kind and wonderful person he was. Although those last few weeks were difficult, there are a few classic funny lines I don't want to forget that we heard Dad say during that time. Here are the ones I can recall at the moment--



"Well, everybody's up so we might as well have a card party" (at 3 am one of the nights Mom and I had been up all night with him)



"Damn you're slow!" (said to Mom while waiting on her to help him in the bathroom)



"Get me a dish of ice cream" (He didn't want much to eat toward the end, but he surprised us a couple times with asking for ice cream, as he did many times in the past when he felt better-- it was one of his favorite foods, along with popcorn, nuts, and pizza. That's why my brothers, sister, and I laugh when we see the pictures of him eating popcorn...