Chris, I am sorry for your loss. I can tell you from personal experience though that the grief you are feeling now will, with time, turn into warm and loving remembrances of times you shared with your dad. Years from now you will hear a song, a phrase or something on the wind will jar your memory of a wonderful day or experience you shared together with your dad. Maybe you will see your dad in yourself or your children. Trust me he is right there with you.

Dennis

What a wonderful tribute to your father. And you, sir, are a tribute to him as well.
More than anything it is the simple bonds that tie the generations together - we trust you will pass them forward to another generation.

Chris, I feel your pain. Lost my mom last year and my father in law the year before.
You sound like me when talking about Dad. I always say that if I am half the man he is I am a hell of a man. Our prayers are with you and your family. God bless!

You're a lucky lucky man Chris. Not everyone has the good fortune to be able to remember their father as such a positive influence.

To everyone who replied to my thread ,Thank you so very much...it only reinforce's what I said earlier about all of you.

We had our up's a down's like everyone .There were many time's I thought those
knuckle's came too quick or too hard ,there were time's when I got overly excited about some new development in my life and he would alway's say "Hang 'er down me son " I used to think to myself "Cripe's Dad can you just give me a little credit",it was his way of saying if it sound's too good to be true it most likely was ...he was usually right.

He grew up in the late 40 early 50's outport Newfoundland ,which was in alot of way's like the State's in the early 30's we were a very poor country then before Confederation ,the story's he told us about growing up were sometime's unbelievable ,like seeing snow blow through the crack's in bedroom wall's as a kid ,every liqued in the house frozen in the morning ,they ate seagull's for christmas dinner because a turkey was a thing of legend !the stone's they would heat over the wood stove's to put in the mattress to help keep a bed with four brother's warm,the tale's of starvation were'nt uncommon here even then...I once heard a story about his uncle who had the boy's out cutting wood ,the pond's were just caught over and to toughen the boy's up he would make them break ice and wade in waist/chest deep water as they towed the hand kat (slide )full of wood!(they did'nt own a horse ).

He was tough as nail's to be sure,but like I told my brother's just week's before he got sick .I never held any of it against him in the long run he was just trying to harden us up to the fact's of life.

Thank's again to everyone who replied this has helped tremendously

Chris, there is no need to thank us, as we are truely brothers and sisters in arms.

And you have just written one more great tribute to a good man.

Chris I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your father and friend. I know somewhat of what your going through as I lost a brother when he was just 17 and my father has been diagnosed with early stage Ahlzhimers among a plethora of other medical problems.

My father wasn't a shooter or hunter but had friends that were and through them he helped foster this addiction i have.

I have two quotes I'dike to share, one from my Dad and one from my Grandmother. These have served my well. From Dad "If it's worth haveing then it's worth working for". From Grandma "Quit bitching and save your breath..You'll need it when it's time to die".

Your Dad will always be with you, looking down and smiling at the positives in your life and you'll know when the knuckles should have been applied, and thats him to.

You got it C.O.B !

Chris, you have my heartfelt sympathy, and know that if we could lighten your pain, we would. However, the pain we feel now is part of the payback for the joy we got when our loved ones with were with us in body. It never does, nor should it, lessen, we just learn to temper it with the smiles that fond memories give us.
As for that guy who checks in on you; he's just that kind of person, and kept me company many hours when I was in and out off hospital last spring. We're lucky there are guys like that around. The ones who think to pick up the phone just to say 'howya doin?' are not so common as they used to be.