My Great Dad

I wrote this tribute to my father in 1997 and I believe it's the first thing I posted on the net. Shortly after this, he had a stroke and was in care for 7 years. He wheeled around the halls of Mount St Mary Hospital and enjoyed the people he met there. Later he was confined to bed but never lost his sense of humor. He passed away 6 years ago on what would have been my parent's 61st wedding anniversary - June 19th. They'll be dancing together in heaven we said.

From his armchair in Sooke B.C., my Dad sits and looks out at the most beautiful view in the whole world. He sees the Sooke Harbour and Whiffenspit, beyond that the Straits of Juan de Fuca and at night the sparkling lights of Port Angeles in the United States. He is an armchair traveller now due to arterial disease but just last September embarked on his second cruise. This last time he bravely set forth alone and went North to Alaska. He entertained his fellow shipmates by singing `The Big Bass Viol` which has been his trademark song for many years. A few years ago he went on his first cruise with my Mom Marge, and they sailed to the Islands of Hawaii.

I remember many years ago the excitement of our camping trips to Miracle Beach, Parksville and Fields Pool in Nanaimo. In those days music was our entertainment as we traveled to our island campsite. We learned "Chatanooga-Choo-Choo" and belted it out from the back seat of our big black Nash Ambassador. We sang around the campfire and watched as Dad, Mom and our friends entertained us with skits and jokes. My Dad was always waiting for the perfect opportunity to tell a joke, often an Irish joke and always with exactly the right Irish brogue. He has never been to Ireland but it`s the land of his ancestors and his Irish green tie is always hanging neatly,waiting for the next March 17th.

He stays indoors most often now but still the choice of an appropriate tie is most important to him. One day in April, when I was visiting, he asked me to choose a tie for him to wear and I chose a plaid handwoven tie of McDonald tartan. He told me then that he had gone as a young man to visit his Uncle in Ottawa and had bought the tie as a souvenir of his visit. One morning his Uncle invited him to lunch at the Parliament buildings and they had lunch with the Prime Minister, William Lyon McKenzie King. No wonder he remembers that tie! I wonder how many other stories his ties would tell. I wonder which he'll choose this Father`s Day? I wish I could be there to help him choose! My Dad is the kindest 81 year old Dad in the world. Happy Father`s Day to the “Don of Juan de Fuca”!

That's right - my father is "The Don of Juan de Fuca"! That's what we've called him for many years and once I asked him how he received that title. Almost a quarter of a century ago this is what happened. He had just retired and built the home of his dreams. The view was amazing - a panoramic vista with ever changing clouds above the Straits of Juan de Fuca, the mountains and forests of East Sooke, the Sooke Harbour, with the fishing boats and freighters heading for Japan in the distance. That first summer Dad was at a community picnic and met a friend who introduced him to Earl - "The Earl of Sooke" his friend Milt laughed. He explained that he himself had been known for quite some time to the locals as "The Duke of Sooke". My father, Don, replied, "Well I believe I outrank you both, since I'm "The Don of Juan de Fuca" and everyone knows the Spanish were here before the British!"

My Dad is such a special man. He is a gentle man, a kind and caring man. He has lived a simple life without the riches a man with such a title might have. The riches in his life have been the respect he gives to the people he meets, the ability to weather all of life's trials with little complaint, his love of music and laughter, his loyalty to his friends and the love he has for his family and his beautiful cat, Boots. We are blessed to have a Dad and Grandfather like ours and wish him comfort and freedom from the pain he has endured in his illness. We send him our love... love from all his children and his whole family to the man we all respect and admire.
Your daughter, Sheila'

***A note to my fellow bloggers - I am still having troubles commenting on some of your blogs. I hope to be able to solve the problem soon. I really think that Blogging is much more fun than doing "Crossword Puzzles"!
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