Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Happy Father's Day!

Verne E. Myers



MY VERY HANDSOME DADDY

Happy Father's Day to all the Father's I know and don't know :)

This are my memories .. to all other's who knew my Daddy or knew of him, I hope your memories are as good.









My sister Lea and I with our Daddy in 1941.


I loved my father.. I still love my father even though he hasn't been on this earth for 54 years. I'm pretty sure my parents were only married about 17 years but it was my childhood so it seemed like a life time to me!


I thought my Daddy was the most handsome man in the world. I was so proud that he was my Dad. He was just average height with very dark, nearly black hair that was straight as a stick and was always falling in his face, steely blue eyes and dark skin year round from working outside all the time I guess. I actually do not think I have a single colored photo of him. I know there must be more then I have on the computer and this next year I'm going to look for them.


The very first memory I have of my Father we were living in a trailer in the grove of tree's behind our future home on Collins Road in Parkland Washington. I was 3 years old. I remember waking to a terrible commotion and looking out the window to see an ambulance! My Dad had an appendicitis attack, or perhaps it had ruptured, I don't know. But that is SO clear in my mind I could reenact it for anyone! I remember going to visit him in the hospital and refusing to kiss him because he had whiskers :) so typical.....I WAS THREE ~That is the same age our Yummy is right now and I can SO see him acting that way!

Our only "Formal" family photo.. I remember it vividly


My Dad worked very VERY hard. He was up at 4:30 every morning of his life. Milking cows and then driving a long way to work at the Milwaukee Railroad. I don't really remember my dad ever just sitting except to eat or when we had company.


He had a fairly serious hearing problem. He said it was working behind big machinery when he was young. I don't know, but I know he didn't hear well. He also walked with a significant limp. I remember a while back mentioning this to one of my children and they were so surprised. I guess it was something I just had never told, but it was just Daddy, he walked with a limp. I know he had a log roll on him once and he was in a fairly serious motorcycle accident. He was also missing half of a finger on his left hand. The story goes....... he shot it off~ I really do not know, I guess I wasn't curious enough to inquire. But if you look close at some of these pictures you will see it.



Me and my Dad.. He had that same very white blonde hair when he was little.



And speaking of motorcycles...My Dad loved to ride motorcycles when he was young. I have some old movies that he took of very old motorcycle races that he took.. And I know my Mom and Dad went on their "Honeymoon" on a motor cycle. I think when my sister came along, the motor cycles were retired :)


My Absolute Favorite photo of my parents.. I have this on my desk, I look at it every day.


I know my Dad didn't marry my mom when he was really young, so he had lots of time to sew some wild oats~ My Uncle George loves to tell stories about my Dad and I love to hear them. My Uncle George is my Dad's baby brother and is now 93 years old.

In his "Sewing Wild Oats Days" :)


The most vivid memories I have of my dad were when I got up before dawn and would help him milk. He would ask me to help him if he had just too many cows to milk before he had to leave for work. Sometimes I would just volunteer. I remember so vividly leaning my head on that old Jersey Cow and dozing off:) I can still smell what she smelled like and it's a good smell. When you have something really compelling to jog your memory, you remember sights, sounds, smells and touches. I bet I could still milk a cow in record time!(I'm not sure I could get up and down though)

Another precious memory to me was my Dad sitting beside me on the piano bench and patiently listening to me stumble through and hours worth of practice. He never ever complained. He thought it was beautiful.



Once in a while my Daddy would hug me very tight. Not very often but he would walk by and just hug me close. I have no recollection of my Dad ever telling me he loved me but I know he did. I know he was always proud of everything my sister and I did. My Dad so very quiet. Some times I think of him almost as a quiet shadow of a person in my childhood but then when I think hard, he was always there and he was always working and he took care of his family.



I can remember in the bitter frigid part of winter my Dad going to the woodshed and chopping wood for our wood heater. My sister and I would help carry it in and I can still see the icicle hanging off my Daddy's nose, but he never stopped. He had a job to do and he did it. When you are raised on a farm, everyone works.. It's expected and you just do it. I think it was the best childhood any child could want.



Whenever my Dad would be standing still talking or something, his hands would be in his pocket and you could hear the change jingle. If I close my eyes I can still hear that sound.



My Dad was a very peaceful man. He was probably a pacifist before it had a name! Of course we had to live off our land and animals but he hated seeing anything or anyone get hurt. The only time I ever really remember seeing him getting slightly angry with someone, it was someone wanting to hunt on our property. I remember my Grandmother telling us one time that he had wanted to grow up to be a Preacher. I'm not sure that was totally true, but he had strong beliefs, mostly it was live and let live. (but NIX on the HUNTING!)
The only picture I've ever seen with my Dad and his mother. I think they made peace.






I think what he may have really wanted to be when he was growing up was a photographer. He took many many photographs and reels of movies.. He produced them and directed them:) Looking at them now they are really quite amazing. He developed his own film. I think deep inside before the Depression and hard times hit, my Daddy wanted to ride a motor cycle and take pictures!



Another favorite picture.. This may be on the same street that my Uncle George still lives on.



My Dad never ever raised his voice to me or laid a hand on me in anger. In fact I don't remember him ever even correcting me. He would teach me how to do things and show me how to do it correctly but not in an angry way. I was a very little "little" girl and I use to ride on the Hay Rake while my dad drove either the tractor or truck. I remember hanging on so hard that my knuckles turned white! It's really quite a miracle that more children are not killed in farm accidents! I also learned to drive by driving that old beat up truck. I can still smell it too. Also the old car we had. I would drive it up the driveway and back it up over and over.



I only heard my father swear one time in my childhood. He never EVER uttered a single, Hell or Damn. But one morning our pipes broke and my poor Daddy woke up and swung out of bed with his bare feet into freezing icy water! OOOOOOOO BOY did we hear him swear! I thought the world was going to end!


But the sweetest memory I have of my Daddy was he taught me to dance. I first learned by standing on his feet like most little girls did, but then I learned all the basic steps from him. He was a wonderful dancer and I loved dancing with him! There was no kind of dance that he didn't know and the Lacamas Community Center and the Grange Hall hold the absolute dearest memories for me.



Me and my Handsome Daddy!







Some of you may not know that I was at the bedside when my father died. I can remember the end so vividly that it's hard to focus and even type. I also remember my mother's words to me, which will remain in my heart.



The last Christmas and probably the last picture taken of my Dad. In January he got sick and he died on December 18, 1955.









Happy Happy Father's Day~


Now that was ONE HANDSOME DUDE!


I also want to wish a few other men in my life a happy Father's Day.. Starting with my Sainted Husband of 110 years :) Together we raised 3 wonderful children and he was the best Daddy I could have found to do that.


Also best wishes to my two sons in law Lindsey and Wayne, they are doing an awesome job raising 3 of our grandchildren.


To my Son Daniel, who I think is the best Dad in the world next to my Dad and his daddy :)


To my two beloved 93 year old Uncles.. Uncle Lyle and Uncle George. I love them dearly and life without them is unthinkable.


To my brother in law Bob for taking such good care of my precious sister and raising 5 wonderful children that I love with all my heart.













4 comments:

  1. I love hearing stories about your dad.

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  2. I sure wish me & the boys could've known him...he was obviously a wonderful man. Thanks so much for writing about him.
    Love,
    Tina

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  3. I have never seen most of those pictures of him. He was a sweet, loving daddy.

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  4. wished I could have known him but he gets very real with the stories & pictures & all the details....

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