Dad. He was always there when you needed him. Family, friend, and even strangers were helped by my dad.. no strings attached. And growing up, he was always there for us.. He was my little league coach (I played longer then I really wanted to, because he enjoyed it! :) ), He was our Cub Scout Den father, or whatever you call it.. he taught us how to ice fish in cub scouts. When my marriage crumbled, the first thing he said was "Come back home". He loved camping more then ANY other vacation... he would prefer to sit by the campfire with a Pabst or Milwaukees Best, over a trip anywhere! His favorite part was "shooting the bull" around the campfire over by Gary & Sandy's camper. He loved deer hunting.. I think in 50 years, he only ever shot 1 deer, because if he didnt know where EVERY hunter was in the woods, he wasn't going to risk it. He just loved sitting out there in the woods in his blind, and camping with his brothers, nephew, nephew in laws, etc. I am not a hunter, but I went with him for quite a few years, because that was our time together.. sadly work and such eventually ended that.. With dad, it was family first... when he was laid off from work, and times were tight.. he was out in the grape vineyards tying grapes for whatever it paid. At the same time, we lost the house we were renting, so he got a job working for cash, for a guy that owned rental properties, and he rebuilt a burned out 1 bedroom duplex, so we could get it rent free for 4 months. Eventually he was hired at the "old pickle factory" and stayed there until he retired. And he retired ON his birthday, and not a day later. He loved work, but loved retirement even more, as by then they owned their home, and he had his "baby girl" to look after. Erica was his world from then on. He just loved hearing her call him "Poppa". He also loved going over to Gary & Sandy's and seeing all those kids too. As he neared the end.. we had to start taking care of him... trust me, he had some cranky days, and he wasnt able to do much, but he was always right there in the middle of things. Annette loved making his coffee in the morning and having her cup, too. She loved making sure he was comfortable, and fetching things he needed, if it was a day he couldnt do it. For the last 2 months, I have been back at the house, helping. Dad was getting weaker every day, so I had to help him get around some days. I bought him his last beer, and helped him with his last cigarette... another vice he loved until the end. Like everyone, he had his bad habits, but, he always loved his family and would do anything for them, he never cheated on my mom, and unless Judge Judy showed up, he never would ! :) Oh how her loved her! We will all miss his "sh*t eating grin" as he liked to call it, and his snickering at jokes and funny stuff. I'll miss going to wrestling with him (I took him last year to his last live event.), camping, and watching him dancing at the Eagles... man was he fast. I always joked that you didnt dance with dad.. you just held on and tried to keep up! He loves to dance. Another memory was taking him to see 1 of the finale performances of Red Skelton... nobody make him laugh harder. Give him Red, Elvis, the Duke, Ann Margaret , Pro Wrestling, Maury Povich (You are NOT the baby's fahter!), and Judge Judy, and you wouldnt get him away from the TV! He also loved sitting in the recliner in Mattawan, with a Chihuahua under each arm. He loved his recliners, and wore out a lot of them after work! I am sure he is in Heaven right now, hugging his mom and dad, giving Leona a hard time, and sitting at a kitchen table talking to Al for hours, and holding Delos, and having a cigarette with Vern. And after that.. he will be out looking for an Elvis Concert, and asking if Elvis thinks they look alike? . :) We will miss you dad.. the house is so quiet with out you. Mom, Annette, Erica, and Sage and I send our love to you. And Daisy will loose 20 pounds without you sneaking her food when we arent looking. :)
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Don Covell
February 28th, 2019 at 1:52pm
