My Daddy, My Hero

A man that works with his hands is a laborer; A man that works with his hands and his head is a craftsman; A man that works with his hands, his head, and his heart is an artist. -Louis Nizer

My daddy was an artist. He had amazing skill with woodworking, cooking, stained glass, copper work, and metal. He also completed an excellent eleven hundred page science fiction novel (the first in a trilogy). He actually finished everything needed for his masterpiece on March 9th.

My dad decided to make a wedding gift for Logan and me. He took us around to different furniture stores and found out exactly what we liked. He created an amazing entertainment center. This work of art has so many little intricate details. If you look closely you can see that the wood on one side is an exact mirror image of the opposing side. He also lined the entire structure with lighting that can be controlled by a touch pad in the center. The work itself is flawless. I am amazed at his artistic skill and the time he put into creating something beautiful for us. We will treasure this forever.

My dad was 6'4" tall and pretty well built. He could seem a little intimidating to strangers. This was not the case, he was a loving teddy bear. I loved his extra large hands that could comfort me no matter what. My favorite thing of all, however, were his loving bear hugs! I felt so safe when I hugged him.

My dad's calling in life was to become a grandpa. He was so excited when he found out I was pregnant, and he told everyone that would listen that he would soon be a grandpa. I was surprised to learn this, because my dad generally seemed to keep to himself. I have found out recently that you couldn't get him to stop talking when he was telling you about his family.

My daddy showed me the importance of hard work and family. My daddy was a roofer, and he worked extrememly hard to ensure that my mom could stay home to raise my family. He treasured my mom. He knew that even though she was staying home; she needed to develop her own talents. Over the years she has become an amazing painter, and he has encouraged and supported her in that goal.

Whenever my daddy was on vacation he had on a hawaiian shirt. I think this was a symbol for him that meant- I am on vacation, and I have no worries. Three weeks before he passed away he requested that hawaiian shirts and bright colors be worn at his funeral to celebrate his life. This wish was granted. The funeral was very classy, and very bright.

Whenever my dad was concentrating really hard, he would stick a tiny bit of his tongue out and have a little crease appear on his forehead. I remember one day he was outside playing with his whip (he made this when he was a teenager. It was originally 21 feet long, but it got shorter and shorter with use). He came inside with his tongue sticking out and bleeding on the end. We asked what happened and he responded, "I thwipped my thongue." He had obviously been concentrating and the whip snapped on the edge of his tongue. Miraculously it didn't even touch his lips!

My daddy had an amazing talent that I have never before seen matched. He could watch television and read a book at the same time. He could follow both storylines exactly. I don't know how he did it, but he did it well! He had a library in his basement of well over 2,000 books, and if you picked one off the shelf he could tell you the entire book in crazy detail. He could also read a 1,000 page book in two days (while also continuing with his normal life). He taught all of us a deep love for reading.

My daddy was an excellent listener. He would drop everything if you needed something, or if you just needed to talk.

My daddy absolutely loved teaching. He was in his element when he was teaching something, and he was good at it. He taught me many things. I remember going roofing with him when I was younger. I loved being out with my dad, and I learned a lot of really interesting and useful things.

My daddy taught me how to work hard at something and then to be proud of my accomplishments. I loved seeing the pride in his eyes when he was showing us something new, or he was explaining the many intricacies of Jac (information and ideas from his book). He had whole worlds in his head just waiting to explode onto the page.

I will always be a 'Daddy's girl.' I have been for a long time, and I will still be. Logan and I decided a few years ago that our first son would have the middle name 'Kelly' in honor of my dad. I am so proud of my dad and everything he accomplished. I know he is watching out for me and my family.

The day that my daddy passed away was one of the most spiritual days of my life. I know Heavenly Father has a plan and that this event was an important part of it. I know my daddy is right here with me because I can feel him here. I know he is up there telling my children stories (probably The Hobbit, or some story out of his mind), and teaching them. I am very proud of my daddy and I will miss him terribly. I love him so much. I am excited to see him again someday.

This is a video that Logan created to help remember my daddy. If you have a few minutes it is worth the time to catch a glimpse of his wonderful life. The video takes a minute to load, but it does work.