Henry Drummond wrote - “Unless a man undertakes more than he possibly can do, he will never do all that he can.”
The man we celebrate today certainly gave his all, doing all he could in various aspects of his life.
He gave his all to his country. My father served two tours during the Vietnam War. Despite being injured during the first tour, after getting well, he continued to serve. Dad was awarded the Purple Heart for his heroic efforts.
He gave his all to his career. When he was fresh out of the Military and looking for work, Dad was able to get a job with Amtrak through his own Father who worked there. My Dad showed up on his first day, ready to get started in his new job… He was then handed a plunger and cleaning supplies. His new job was to clean the bathrooms on the trains. It might not have been a dream job, but that did not discourage my Father. He simply saw opportunity and figured he had to start somewhere. In between cleaning the bathrooms, Dad studied trains and how they work. He took a few classes, passed a few tests and in due time was promoted to an engineer role. He managed fixing trains, monitoring all lines running, and was able to spot errors, stop them appropriately and aid in fixing them to get things running again safely. Throughout his career he was promoted several times, a well-deserved recognition for giving all he could to the job.
He gave his all to his children. My Brother and I are very blessed and honored to call this man our Father. My brother was his baby boy and son (S-U-N), as in center of his universe. He was the first person to hold me, I was “Daddy’s little girl” and had him wrapped around my finger since day one.
He gave his all to himself. Those of us who truly knew him know that each trip to the hospital was not ever uncomplicated and always more frequent than he liked. As a result we joke of how Penn, Virtua, Kennedy and Care One all have new wings built in their facilities due to my Father’s patronage through the years. In spite of his various health issues, my Father persevered and always gave everything he could to get well.
He gave his all to his favorite baseball team, the NY Met’s. Despite the Met’s being in a drought for many, many, many years, my Father never gave up hope. Last season we watched games together and fully enjoyed the season as they made the World Series. Despite not winning the World Series where my Father was left with me crying for months, he said to me – “They had a surprisingly great run – they will win it next year.” I looked up as I wiped a few tears and said “you promise Daddy?” He replied, “I promise.” I am holding him to that promise, so don’t be surprised with a NY Met’s World Series win this year.
Last, but certainly not least – he gave his all to his true love and late wife Kathleen. In my eyes, their relationship was one of the greatest love stories ever told. My Father was at a dive bar in Brooklyn, NY on New Year’s Eve with his family. His brother was supposed to be setup with a lovely lady from the neighborhood. Dad sat at the bar and sitting next to him was a young woman who smoothly sweet talked him into buying her drinks of red wine and bumming smokes off of him. They shot the breeze casually about nothing important, she did most of the talking. Finally, my dad, although very nervous, finally pulled the courage together to ask her out on a date, The Lady replied “sure, why not.” That “lovely lady” would soon become his wife a year later. Life is funny. She was the one who was supposed to be setup with my father’s brother, who, by the way, never showed up.
For over 36 years my Father was privileged to hear his wife’s lovely voice spouting commands on a daily basis, and he enjoyed every moment of it. Mom was high class, and John treated her like his queen without question. My Father was a quiet man, low stress and easy going and was the perfect balance for Miss classy high maintenance. On the flip side, Kathleen mothered my Father for those 36 years. She kept him organized, in line and afloat at all times. He was very much spoiled by her nurturing personality and demeanor. They complimented each other very well and had over 36 years of happiness and joy!
We can honor Dad’s legacy in this: give it all you’ve got. Give your all in everything you do - January 30, 1947 - April 4, 2016.
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