My Dad was the most kind, gentle person, with a wonderful sense of humor, and he was always the smartest person in the room.
One quality that my Dad had which I admired so much, was that he was such a great listener. When he spoke to you, you always felt like the most important person in the room. My Dad always had such a genuine interest in others. He wasn’t very into small talk. He wanted to get to know people. He loved getting into conversations about politics, history, gardening, music and art. And no matter what the topic was, he could speak about it intelligently. But don’t talk to him about sports, other than golf, he had no interest.
This probably came from his love of reading. My dad was always reading 3-4 books at a time. Growing up, I wouldn’t dare say that I was bored, because his first words were always, “Read a book.” Which I didn't appreciate at the time. Although growing up, my Dad always took time to read to me before bedtime. It was really a special time to spend with him.
My Dad loved music, especially classical. In the summer, he enjoyed traveling to Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass to listen to outdoor concerts with my Mom and close friends. His love of music led him to learn how to play the piano at a young age. When they lived in CT, he and my mom would often have piano parties at their home. And although he became a very accomplished player, he continued to take lessons. He had such a love of learning.
If you visited my parents home in Bloomfield, CT, you probably got a tour of my Dad’s gardens. He was especially proud of his fern garden which he built into the woods along a path. He had such a green thumb and could talk about everything garden related, as if he wrote the book.
My Dad loved running. He would go on runs around the neighborhood and then eventually at the age of 47, he ran in the Boston Marathon. As he reached the top of Heartbreak Hill, the hardest part of the race, he threw his arms up in the air which captured the attention of a photographer, and his photo ended up on the front cover of the Boston Track & Field magazine.
More than anything else, my Dad loved his family. His eyes lit up every time my Mom walked into the room, up until the very end. He loved his 2 granddaughters, Haley & Camille. He loved reading with them, teaching them to play the piano and how to bake bread from scratch. It’s no surprise that both Haley and Camille developed a love of baking. He always joked with them that grocery store bread tastes like straw compared to his own, which always made us laugh, even though he was right.
My Mom has said a million times that she couldn’t have asked for a more loving husband. I can honestly say, I could not have asked for a more loving Dad. I could go on and on, but my dad didn’t like long speeches.
I love you Dad!
