Hello everyone. One final round of thank yous from the children of Walter "Whitey" Whitecotton. 

His visitation and funeral were Tuesday, March 9, at Laufersweiler-Sievers in Fort Dodge. To say we were overwhelmed by the showing of love for our dad and support for us would be a severe understatement. So many people from all the many layers of his life came to say their farewells to him and to offer their condolences and words of encouragement to us. It was gratifying, sad, touching, heartbreaking and inspiring.

Hearing some new stories from Pastor Ken Miller, dad's longtime friend who officiated the funeral, and from some of his AA partners was particularly touching to us. 

Another highlight was the arrival of four of our cousins and my mom's brother. Although one of them lives in Minnesota, they'll always be our "North Dakota" cousins, and it was so meaningful to have them there. Most of them drove close to 10 hours to be here. When our parents moved to Iowa for Dad's job with Reader's Digest in 1971, we became mostly isolated from our extended families on Mom's side in North Dakota and Dad's in California, but we made enough family trips to Washburn, N.D., to forge a strong connection that continues to this day. Their presence certainly provided strength, and as anyone who has been around any of the Leidholm clan for any amount of time, quite a few moments of much-needed laughter as we shared stories over dinner at Terri's house the night before the funeral. 

The week concluded with Dad's burial on Thursday at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery near Van Meter, Iowa. The ceremony was solemn, respectful and moving. To witness the thoughtfulness and purpose of the two soldiers who folded Dad's flag and presented it to us was amazing. And to know that Dad will be at rest among others who served their country as he and several of his brothers have is a comfort. 

And on Friday, we returned to our homes, Lisa to Sonoma County in California, Tina to the Tampa Bay area in Florida, Tim to the Twin Cities and Terri to her magnificent home at Twin Lakes. We'll carry the memories of our Dad with us forever, and we'll also carry an immense feeling of gratitude for all those whose actions brought some light to our Dad and to us during his final days. 

Thank you all.