Today, October 3, is my Dad's birthday Anniversary. He departed this earthly journey 23-years ago. He died at age 75. My father was like many men of his generation. He was born into meager financial wherewithal to proud hard working parents of a large family. And like many of his time, my dad quit school after the ninth grade to enter the work force thus alleviating the financial burdens of his parents.
He began delivering coal in winter months and ice during summer time.(Note: For you youngsters, that refrigerator was once an 'ice box' and the furnace needed to burn coal to heat your house.) Dad made $3.00 a day. He made a bit more as a delivery-service person working for Selmier Peerless Towel & Lenin Company of Missouri. He would marry my mother at the respective ages of 21 & 20.
His work experience took him into Monsanto Plants, on various heavy machinery-rigs as an operating engineer and in the construction trades, namely welding, pipe-fitting and lead burning. Whatever he anticipated to be a 'work-time-line-schedule' World War II altered his plans. My father would serve two-years in France under General Patton before returning with hundreds of thousands soldiers to a grateful nation.
His proud and intense work ethics coupled with a genuine caring personality and unwavering integrity would catapult him into the 'White-Collar' business sales and later management. He would eventually 'make it big' as they say.
My father's humanitarian efforts were well documented through religious commitments, Shriners' work for cripple children, Collinsville Tourism and Collinsville Chamber of Commerce service.
My brothers, Tom and Marty and many family members could offer endless individual names of people whom our father mentored, assisted financially and or placed in much needed employment.
His immediate family still speak the name 'Papaw' with loving respect and reverence.
When I think of my Dad these days, three thoughts come to mind: (1) In 1964, the St. Louis Cardinals won he World Series over the Yankees. Dad made sure that his three sons had seats for that Series' seventh game. (2) when Barnes Hospital Cardiology team exhausted all measures to pull him out of his final heart failure episode, it was my Dad who consoled them and gave thanks for their efforts in his behalf for some 21-post major heart attack years. (3) With my Dad's final breath he made his sons promise to, "Take good care of Mom."
Happy Birthday, Fox. Thanks for precious memories and a wonderful blueprint for living and serving others.
(Touch)
My Father in Me
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