My father died on November 1st,1987.Dad was 71 years old and in a lot of pain.My father died one month after my 40th birthday and my father whose death I still mourn died in my arms.His last words to me were
"I am dying" and then he fell forward on the chair he was sitting.Tears are
rolling down my face.You see,next week is Fathers Day...June 16th and this was the holiday that my father loved the lost.We would have cake,cookies and all of the grandchildren were there.Dad loved them and it showed.He was a wonderful person.What did my father teach me?
Well,for one thing...he taught me a work ethic and taught me that things are not given to you...you get them after hard work.And I still value this lesson.And he loved history and geography and loved the sea.In 1962,at the age of 14...I came home and asked my father who Roosevelt was.He was nothing.You see daddy worked for the WPA in the Depression and he was able to feed my mother and brother.Daddy worked for the city of New York and things were tight.The men who worked in the sewer (were
funny like Ed Norton) MY FATHERS PAY WAS 62.50 A WEEK..anD HE
SAVED FOR A VACATION AND TOOK ME UP TO COOPERSTOWN AND THEN THE NEXT DAY...HE TOOK ME TO HYDE PARK..THE ESTATE OF
frankiln D. Roosevelt and I saw the film and I knew that his life was hard
back then...but my father never complained.He was cheery.My father
loved music.He sang BARBERSHOP QUARTET.HE WAS A TENOR AND
HE QUIT BECAUSE THERE WAS NO MONEY IN IT.hE GAVE ME THE
GIVE OF MUSIC AND AT 15,i TOOK VOCAL LESSONS FOR 11 YEARS.
hE COLLECTED ALL KINDS OF MUSIC AND HIS COLLECTION WAS
HUGE.i hAD TO SELL MY FATHERS COLLECTION.dAD HAD 675 ALBUMS.tHE MUSIC WAS UNBELIEVABLE.hE DID THINGS WITH ME THAT OTHER FATHERS AT THE TIME DID NOT DO.tHURSDAY WAS kIDSNIGHT...thATS RIGHT kIDS nIGHT AND HE WOULD TAKE ME TO A PLACE IN nEW jERSEY CALLED jOHNNY AND hANGES..iT IS STILL THERE.iT IS A HOT DOG JOINT AND HE WOULD TALK TO ME.
tHERE WAS NO DRUGS OR ALCOHOL IN MY HOUSE.daD DID NOT ALLOW AND HE TOLD MY BROTHER NEVER TO DRI NK IN FRONT OF HIM OR ME.hE HATED LIQUOR.anD TODAY I AM CRYING...anD LET ME SAY THIS...GUYS..AND EVERYBODY YOU ONLY HAVE ONE FATHER AND SOME DO NOT LIKE THEIR PARENTS..bUT yOU MUST REALIZE THAT THEY ARE DOING THE BEST THAT THEY CAN AND WE MUST LOVE AND HONOR THEM.mEN....A GIRL NEEDS HER FATHER UNTIL
\SHE IS 19 AND THEN (IN AN iTALIAN HOUSE) sHE BECOMES A WOMAN..BUT LISTEN TO YOUR FATHER.dONT YELL AT THEM.gIVE THEM UNDERSTANDING AND REMEMBER A FATHERS LOVE IS RARE.