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Sunday 19 June 2011

Of love and loss (family version)

My dad, in Sicily, before he was my dad.  I know that because my dad always, except for 3 especially scary days in 1950 when he didn't see the light of day, had a moustache.

His was black and full and served to make all my girlfriends fall in love with him (in chaste ways) and all my boyfriends admit that they'd come to the wrong house by mistake. 

It stayed black and full through six kids, almost 50 years of marriage, a career in the army, a second and third career when being "Papa" was the big thing in his life, chemotherapy and a stroke.

This makes him sound so less than he was:  funny, engaging, loving, faith-driven, brave, humble, honest, hard-working and did I say funny?  the only thing worse than my dad's horrendous but irresistible puns was his inability to do anything manly with a hammer.  We loved him to death.  And I know I speak for all of us Spindillyrushinghams when I say we miss him and continue to love him for the wonderful, generous, ice-cream-buying, shoe-tying, hugs-if-crying darling that he was to us all.

5 comments:

  1. How blessed you were to have him!!!!

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  2. I have to admire men who are not good with hammers, since I am one of them.

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  3. Bill was a wonderful man who was so kind to Eric and i when we visited in Barrie always had a great time.Loved him too.

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  4. Handsome guy he was, Lorna, and it sounds like he was a wonderful man as well. Did you see that post I did a few days ago about what matters most is how well you walk through the fire? Sounds like your dad did that. Is Father's Day the same day in Canada as it is in the U.S.?

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