I smile when I imagine calling home to talk with him and share stories of all of my adventures. His first question was usually, “And where are you today?” It would have been quite the range of answers this year! He was a fantastic storyteller himself, which made him a good listener too – at least to my energetic ramblings! And we would usually end our calls with, “Thanks for the chat Dad. Love you too.”
He passed away one year ago. Here is the tribute I wrote for him then:
I appreciate glimpses into the impacts he had as ‘Fred’ in his career and with his family and friends. But he had a special impact on me as ‘Dad’. He always saw me, knew me, and loved me, which I have and will always cherish as his greatest gift to me.
He was my mentor and role-model for being both:
- In your head and using your hands;
- Intellectual and artistic;
- Opinionated and open;
- Determined and flexible;
- Proud and adaptive;
- Ambitious and generous.
My Dad:
• Got us to say “rubber baby buggy bumpers” over and over again.
• Would ring the doorbell and introduce himself as Mr. Schwartz, whom Dad had sent to have dinner with us in his place.
• Would tickle me even after I collapsed on the floor, and just seeing his hands in tickle mode would make squeal.
• Was a role-model for endless hobbies including photography, sewing, carpentry, home renovation, car building, sailboat building, shed building, growing vegetables, skiing, and playing golf.
• Wrapped Christmas gifts by leaving them in the store bags and hiding them under furniture until he told us to ‘look there for something else’.
• Woke us up and took us outside to see the Northern Lights from the end of the driveway.
• Honoured, versus painfully postponing, our long-scheduled date to see Star Wars together when I convinced him that it wasn’t certain that my faint new spots were chicken pox.
• Would watch the Muppet Show with us and introduced us to The Two Ronnies.
• Taught me how to eat a full lobster, clams, and oysters on the half shell.
• Taught me how to critically read a newspaper.
• Would let me hug him for as long as I wanted or needed to.
• Was my biggest fan.
Thanks Dad. Love you too.
<http://www.humphreysfh.com/Obituaries/130229/>
