10. My dad loved hockey. He played his entire life. Pond hockey. College hockey. Floor hockey. Parking lot hockey on roller blades. Old man hockey. He loved to watch it, too. I loved going to a game with him when he visited us here in AZ. He even bought a Coyotes shirt for the occasion. I wish I would have thought to take him to the gift shop and gotten him something special.
9. He baked for his students and teams. Brownies, cookies, and sometimes around the holidays he would make candied bacon - I'm not even a fan of bacon, but I don't know what he did, but it was really good.
8. He loved water. Kayaking, canoeing, swimming, fishing, whatever. He had recently purchased a paddleboard about which he was excited.
7. His collection of ties was beyond impressive. My mom's mom always bought him ties, his students bought him fun ties, he bought ties - tons of them. All crazy and fun and bright colors.
6. He liked rhubarb. A crumb topped rhubarb pie? Forget about it.
5. He looked out for me. My first car was from him. The first car I bought? From him, at what he owed the bank, to help me build credit. When I moved to AZ, he offered to trade me cars (his was newer and nicer) because mine didn't have AC. We ended up having to pay each other a penny for the sale/transfer of ownership. When he died, Jeremiah bought his car. It seemed fitting, as all of his cars seemed to go my way.
4. I love how much he loved Jeremiah. He called him "Jer". He searched for rare beers for him, because he knew how much Jeremiah loved craft beers. When he died, we went wandering into the unfinished portion of the basement. There, before our eyes, was a massive collection of beer that he'd been saving up for Jeremiah. Because he knew they'd make him happy. He bought him beer magazines and seasons of the Simpsons, because he also knew how much Jeremiah loved the Simpsons.
3. We had phrases and sayings that we would say that would instantly make us laugh, even if it hadn't been brought up in years. Wisconsin Cheese; God Speed, Mr. Nibbles; I Like Whistles and Drums.
2. He sneezed REALLY loudly. Like, LOUD. He also laughed really loudly. I loved being able to make him laugh.
1. He had a great sense of humor. He told me one time that a stray cat showed up wounded at the house.
Me: So what did you do?
Dad: I put on some triple antibiotic ointment and told him to come back in 24 to 48 hours.
Me: And?
Dad: And he did.
Dad: Some bees showed up in the backyard. A big swarm.
Me: Agh! Shit! What'd you do?
Dad: I showed them the open apartment out back (he had an extra hive) and asked if they were interested.
Me: And?
Dad: They were.
Bonus: He took care of his people. I can't speak for anyone else, but I can say that he loved his mom, my gram, so much, and helped her as much as he could in those last few years. I never once heard him complain. He loved his brother and sister. He loved all of us. He drove me everywhere as a kid and a teen - he once told me that it hadn't been my choice to live in the country (even though I loved it), so the least he could do was drive me to where I needed/wanted to go. He took on so much for so many people, never an unkind word, always a giving heart. He was a listener but didn't give unsolicited advice. He gave even when people didn't give back. And he didn't complain. I honestly can't think of a better person. How lucky for me that he was my dad.
