This morning, my Dad died -- likely of a heart attack. I wanted to make sure that those of you who knew him or of his impact on my life were aware. My Dad was a world traveler. In his life, he managed companies in the U.S., Mexico, and China. As a kid, he lived in Germany shortly after WWII while his father was stationed there with the U.S. Army. And because of my father's job, we moved a lot while I was growing up — which I liked. Moving gave me experiences and a level of adaptability that I wouldn't have otherwise.
As a younger man, he was one of Western New York's baseball All-Stars and had dreams of the Big Leagues. Things changed when he was drafted during Vietnam. When he returned home, he finished his Bachelor's Degree in Colorado before moving back to his hometown of Buffalo where he met my Mom. This past December, they celebrated their 40th Anniversary. He loved his family, and gave me a load of (mostly good) qualities that, I think, are rare.
As he aged, he grew. Instead of being a man stuck in the Boomer Generation's sometimes narrow and conservative (straight-white-male) views, he opened himself up and became a progressive and open-minded person who loathed politics and hypocrisy, and just wanted us kids "to be happy." He was an upstanding guy, who exemplified what it means to be a strong, proud, kind man. Please -- I'm not looking for a ton of sympathy messages here... but if you knew him, take a minute, and think about Lee. If you didn't know him, then just take a second to look closely at those who mean the most to you, and make sure they know it.
Every time we talked on the phone, he told me he loved me (even when I was less-than-lovable), and asked if there was anything I needed... Darryl and I are flying to Chattanooga, TN on Wednesday to be with my Mom and sisters for a week or so. Sometime this weekend, we'll be having a casual open house at my Mom's to share in the love and generous spirit he had for all of us.