A Good and Decent Man

I recently spent the better part of three weeks in New Jersey sorting through the memories of a long, productive life.  My dad passed away in the middle of May, 2021, and I was helping my brother and sister clean out the house for sale. A house he had built in 1956 where he moved us when I was three. The home he passed away in, two months short of his 97^th birthday, where he lived independently, including the eleven years after my mom – the love of his life – passed. It was full of 65 years of everything he cherished. I’ve only now been able to write this post, as dad and I were very close.

The world lost an amazingly good, decent, irreplaceable man that day in May, confirmed for me as I went through all the things he cherished and saved. The outpouring of love and condolences from his many, many friends underscored that sentiment all the more, and I rarely heard anyone speak poorly of him.  He lived a life of principle, from childhood, to his military service at the Battle of the Bulge, to his family, his career as an accountant, his community and church involvement, his battle with cancer, and his ship-modeling during his retirement years. He was always an inspiration to me – my first and last hero. I miss him terribly.

Rest in peace, dad. We love you.

-Russ