I feel like I’ve lost a huge piece of my heart. Dad passed away on November 3rd.

 

My dad was my biggest fan and supporter. He loved me unconditionally. He taught me to be caring and compassionate. He taught me the love of the Lord. I wanted nothing more than to make him proud. Mine and Troy’s greatest accomplishment in his eyes were his grandchildren. This was obvious by the sparkle in his eyes when he would talk about them and share stories about them.

He held strong to his beliefs and lived to serve the Lord above all. If you knew him, you knew how compassionate he was of studying and following the Lord’s word. He had an interesting perspective and was able to dig deep and connect passages like no other.

Dad put everyone before himself and would stop what he was doing if anyone was in need and wanted nothing in return. Whether it was helping on a project or lending someone money, you could count on him to be there. When he was 19 he had saved up enough money to follow his dream to travel up to Alaska where he wanted to start a homestead. After seeing a commercial of people in need he took that money that was supposed to get him to Alaska and donated it. Having no money but still a dream he relied on prayer and hitch hiking and eventually made his way up to the Last Frontier. The Lord continued to provide for him and he was able to spend some of his greatest years in Alaska.

Besides Alaska and the Lord, my mom Cindy, was the love of his life. They married October 6, 1979 and shared many memories between their Chandalar Lake home in Alaska and their Babbitt home. He lost her too soon in life and a piece of him was always missing when she passed in 1991. He loved her with every ounce of his being until his last day. As one of his favorite artists, George Jones said…, “He stopped loving her today.”

If he wasn’t helping others or studying his Bible and sharing His word, you could find him working on classic cars, teasing those he loved or telling stories from Vietnam where he enlisted in the army or telling Alaskan adventures that had you on the edge of your seat.

Though he lived a full life that most could only dream of, Stage 4 colon cancer took him from us too soon. We are thankful that because it came on so fast he did not have to endure any pain and when the Lord called him home he was sleeping peacefully in his family home in Babbitt. His strong faith and relationship with the Lord reassures us that he will be connected with his loved ones.

I don’t know what I’m going to do without him but I’m thankful for what he instilled in me and the memories we share. Thank you all for the love and support, we definitely feel it.