Father’s Day is this week. Dad has been gone for two and a half years. When he passed away, it was not expected. He wasn’t feeling well and went to the hospital. Mom said for me to take my time getting to the hospital as I was about an hour away. I was about ten minutes outside of town and the phone rang. When I saw it was Matt’s number I knew Dad was gone. Matt said, “Where are you?” I said, “I made it over the bridge.” He said, “You need to pull over. I don’t want to tell you, but your Dad has passed away.” I remember it was pouring raining and sitting on the side of the road. I tried to compose myself and headed out again. When I arrived at the hospital, a chaplain was waiting for me at the entrance.
My dad was a quiet man and hard-working. He last job was working at Lambert Airport for twenty-five years. One thing my Dad instilled in me was reading and keeping up with current events. Every year, he registered me for the summer reading program at the St. Louis Public Library. I knew John Fuller’s (local weatherman in St. Louis) weather presentation really well, as he seemed to be the summer reading program speaker each year. My dad always watched the nightly news and I think that’s where I get my habit of watching the nightly news.
One of the funniest moments, I remember of my Dad was when it was spring or summer time. I watched a lot of 80’s/90’s tv shows growing up…Growing Pains, Family Matters, Perfect Strangers, etc. I also taped (yes, VHS recorded…) shows so I could watch them again. One day, my Dad got up to go to work and as he dressed in layers and my mom was like, “Why are you wearing those clothes?” He said, “On tv, it said it was going to be cooler today.” Mom was like, “Robyn was watching her taped shows and that weather forecast was not for today. The weather forecast was from an old recording.” I am glad they realized that before he walked out that door to go work.
In my Kindergarten year, Dad was in a work accident. He was working alongside another co-worker and one of the tools the other co-worker was using was not properly turned off. My dad’s pants caught on fire and he was burned with second and third degree burns from the waist down. I remember my mom getting the phone call and said for me to get into the car. When we got there, they brought us back to the emergency room. I started to get sick when I saw the burns. I remember Dad telling the nurses to take me out of the room. My dad wasn’t able to make it to my Kindergarten program that fall. While he was in the hospital, he made the pilgrim hats for my class program. Every year, I try to make the pilgrim hats for my class.
When we lost our son Hope, the social worker and chaplain came in to discuss plans. Plans that I thought we would never have to make. A question I thought I would never have to answer was, “Where do you want Hope’s resting place to be?” I said, “If possible I want Hope next to my Dad.” The social worker was very proactive and it was arranged. When Drew and Luke would spend the night at my parents, my Dad would get up in the middle of the night if the kids woke up. In some way, it gave me peace that Hope would be by Dad. My boys were my Dad’s everything.
My cousin Joan said, “Your dad was a quiet man, but had a spirit of appreciation.” Matt was always kind to my Dad. My dad had hearing issues, most likely due to working near machinery. Matt always treated my Dad so kindly….taking him to the movies and helping him with yard work. 
I enjoy finding new and interesting items. One of the most unique items I have found are necklaces by Nicky Lee Designs. Her necklaces come with a label and a saying such as Friend, Survivor, Never Forgotten, and the phrase that made me laugh out loud…Bite Me. If you look at the label, you will notice it says Morse code and under the label is the Morse code typed out. The necklaces are made of beads that spell out in Morse code the entitled saying. I recently bought the necklace entitled Never Forgotten.
Some things I will never forget:
- My boys-Their smiles and sense of humor
- Memories…of Dad
- Matt-His encouragement and him always wanting me to reach my goals
- The simple joys in life-Birds singing and flowers blooming
- Love of 80’s/90’s tv shows-it’s become a tradition to watch old shows with the boys and they really like them…Luke now says, “Did I do that?” in his Urkel voice…
- My angel Hope who was my gift for a short time
- Friendships who bring joy, laughter and encouragement
Nicky Lee Designs are sold at Red Door Botique in Rolla or at her salon (The Beauty Mark Salon) in Rolla.
These are the words inside the box of each necklace:
“When creating this line I was inspired by all the beautiful and intelligent women across the globe. I purposely designed each piece with hidden messages to empower women everyday. Whether you are a survivor or need a little reminder that you are fearless, Nicky Lee Designs can do just that. Thank you for your purchase.”
Nickole McNail/Designer