Shortly before 7 this morning, my father passed away. He had been battling a very aggressive form of prostate cancer that just proved too much to overcome. It was almost astonishing how quickly things unraveled for him.
My father really wasn't a car guy, with a couple of noteworthy exceptions: When he was in the Army, him and three other G.I.'s chipped in $65 each to purchase a 1949 Mercedes. He also used to tell me that when he was younger he used to dream about owning an MG-TC, TD, TF. So, when I brought the '69 Sprite to his house for the first time, he mentioned that to me. I did take him for a ride in the car, but his 78 year old body at the time really didn't like squeezing into something as low to the ground or as small as the Sprite. However, he did see how happy my daughter was in the Sprite. Even in his final days in hospice, he asked me how the car was doing.
Dad was a pretty remarkable individual -- born in the Depression, childhood during World War II, ended up being drafted in the late 50s and served with a counter-intelligence unit based in Stuttgart. It gave him a skill set that he was able to parlay into a career as a Special Agent with the Department of the Treasury. His passion for music and history was passed down to me. Dad was a great husband to my mother for 57 years, and a great father to me and my sisters. However, of all the hats he wore, I think he enjoyed being a grandfather most of all, with six grandchildren, one step-grandchild and two great-grandchildren. He will be missed by all.
My father really wasn't a car guy, with a couple of noteworthy exceptions: When he was in the Army, him and three other G.I.'s chipped in $65 each to purchase a 1949 Mercedes. He also used to tell me that when he was younger he used to dream about owning an MG-TC, TD, TF. So, when I brought the '69 Sprite to his house for the first time, he mentioned that to me. I did take him for a ride in the car, but his 78 year old body at the time really didn't like squeezing into something as low to the ground or as small as the Sprite. However, he did see how happy my daughter was in the Sprite. Even in his final days in hospice, he asked me how the car was doing.
Dad was a pretty remarkable individual -- born in the Depression, childhood during World War II, ended up being drafted in the late 50s and served with a counter-intelligence unit based in Stuttgart. It gave him a skill set that he was able to parlay into a career as a Special Agent with the Department of the Treasury. His passion for music and history was passed down to me. Dad was a great husband to my mother for 57 years, and a great father to me and my sisters. However, of all the hats he wore, I think he enjoyed being a grandfather most of all, with six grandchildren, one step-grandchild and two great-grandchildren. He will be missed by all.