far out daddy
The Most Far Out Man I Know…..
As I sit on the sofa across from you, watching you transition from physical to spiritual life, I feel an overwhelming sense of calm. I also am speechless, not because I can’t FIND the words I want to say, but because, at this point, nothing needs to be said. Ironic since the daughters you raised rarely can exhibit calmness OR speechlessness. Nothing needs to be said about your fight with cancer, how quickly all of this happened, how it happened, how your wife and daughters gave Lourdes & Hospice the Bourque/Cargill wrath to make sure you got the care you deserved, the list goes on and on. Nothing needs to be said about those things which now lie in the past. You are peacefully embarking on your journey that separates your spirit and soul from your physical body, and by the time I share this with others, that transition will have already occurred. Now is the time to celebrate your life, your spirit, and the far-out mark you have left on this earth, and the place you will always keep in our hearts.
Everyone who knows you, including your wife and daughters, knows you are a man of few words. I am not sure if you were destined to be that way from birth or if having three daughters and a spunky Irish wife had anything to do with it, but nonetheless, you said very little. However, we have all learned from you that it is not what you SAY that matters, it’s what you DO. Throughout the years, your actions, rather than your words, have spoken volumes to those around you, especially my sisters, me, and our mother. We have received countless stories from your co-workers saying that you were a man of great character, integrity, and loyalty and always had a smile on your face. You inspired so many people to be good at what they do, strive for excellence, and positively impacted just about every person you came in contact with, evident by the packed funeral home yesterday.
We have all been loved and blessed to have you as our father. The foundation you have laid that this family is built upon will NEVER crumble...it will only get stronger. Your spirit will live on and thrive through your wife, your daughters, your grandchildren, your sons-in-law, your three brothers and your sister, your co-workers, and countless other acquaintances. The stories of WHO you were and the examples you set will be told for generations to come.
You have taught your daughters countless life lessons that will be told in dramatic life-filled stories that we share with our children, their children, and so on. After a few generations, I’m sure the tales will grow taller in the details, but the lesson will always stay intact & the message will always remain clear. When we finally got you to get a Facebook account, you listed your favorite quote:
DO UNTO TO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD WANT TO THEM DO TO UNTO YOU.
Celebrating YOU would not be complete without celebrating your marriage to our mother. Calling it only a marriage in today’s world just isn’t enough. You and mom honored your vows in an incomparable fashion. The love the two of you share and how you live to make each other happy is something you don’t see much nowadays. We are so lucky we grew up bearing witness to such a love, and since we now expect to be loved in that same way, we have taught and are still teaching our children to expect the same thing. See what you started??? The HEART does go on, and so will you.
Mom sure knew what she was doing when she picked you out of that crowded room at Pellicis Restaurant in Scotland nearly 43 years ago. What a smart wee cookie our mother is. I thank God every day for her forwardness and for seeing you and saying to herself, “I want him, and what I want, I get,” and that you began your life together.
4:54 pm, after a brief call from Lorena to discuss details of her travel back to Lafayette, we had a chuckle over how, true to who you are, you have your ducks in a row. Even in death, you are in complete control and calling the shots-waking up and loudly demanding that we all get here so we can talk. You told Mom we would know what it was about when we got there. And, of course, when Daddy speaks, his girls jump. So here we are, and there you go. Rest easy, Daddy. You will be missed and never forgotten.
