Hello everyone,

We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you for taking the time to be here today to support our family & to honor our dad. We appreciate all the love & support you have shown to our family. Despite all the challenges we went through, especially over this past year, how blessed are we… what a wonderful gift from God to have our dad in our lives for 96 years, 8 months, & 22 days. It’s very difficult to sum up a well lived life in a brief few moments, but we hope to share some things about our dad that will live in our hearts forever.

Our Dad loved our family fiercely – To witness the love that he had for mom was a treasure to see & something that encourages us all in our own marriages & in life. There was never a moment, even up to the very end that he wasn’t expressing his love to her daily. He constantly told us every day how beautiful she was, that she was “the love of his life”, & how much better he was each morning now that he saw her beautiful face. Even when she was gone for a few hours, he was always asking where she was, telling us how much he missed her & how he wished she would hurry back home, safely. He loved his children & his grandchildren – he always made it a priority to spend time with us & support us in whatever we loved to do. One could always find my dad at the baseball fields, basketball, volleyball, & football games, and watching the school plays as well. He loved all of you deeply & was so incredibly proud of each of you. Our dad was also a lifelong Pittsburgh Sports Fan & could spend all day watching them on TV. He was a true ‘Yinzer’ through & through.

Our dad was a humble man, a dedicated hard-worker & friend. He instilled those values in us over the years. He was in the navy & served as a radar man for 4 years aboard the Monte’-que. After discharge, he worked in the telecommunications area for 40+ years to support our family & turned down a major promotion which would have required a move to NY to allow me to stay through my senior year & graduate with my friends. He loved working in the yard whether it was mowing the grass, planting vegetables, flowers, or mulching; our yard was kept tidy & he so was proud of it. He had a core group of close friends over the years and would do anything for them…one could always find my dad sharing a beer on a neighbors back porch and enjoying time with his retirement group or the breakfast club.

Our dad was a frugal man – call him an “old German” if you will. He kept his finances very tight & rarely discussed this with us. He always told us to pay ourselves first & never buy a new car – as it loses its value the day you drive it off the lot. He was a huge saver, but gracious when needed & always managed every year to take our family on a 2-week vacation to Florida often allowing our friends or significant others to tag along at his expense. He treasured that family time at the beach each & every year. This continued on well after we were all grown & out of the house. He loved to travel & boy did they travel. You could always find dad sitting in front of the computer, searching for the very best deals he could find. My parents have been blessed over the years to see a good portion of this world, with their last adventure just 2 years ago to the Holy Land.

Our dad was a jokester. He loved to laugh & to make us laugh! One never knew if he was being serious as he always had a funny story to tell or a silly joke up his sleeve. When we would ask him “Dad – how are you feeling today” – his response… “with my hands of course” (raise hands up and move)! He enjoyed listening to comedians with us or watching his favorite show – The Big Bang Theory – over & over & over again & chuckling throughout it all! It was such a joy to see him laughing. He loved to play games & work puzzles… there was always a puzzle in the works on our back porch. During the holidays, he would always start up a card game of pig or competitive trivial pursuit – guys against girls, & when the men got the question right, they would parade around the table singing DA-DA-DA-DA-DA…DA-DA-DA-DA

Our dad loved his sweets – oh how he loved his sweets. He would NEVER turn down an offer for dessert or a treat... even for breakfast or after a huge meal – there was always room for something sweet. From his morning cinnamon rolls, to the hidden candy bars under the driver seat of his car, to sneaking over to the donut shop: there was always room for a treat. One could find my dad in the cookie isle at the store or sneaking “COOOOOKIES” from the kitchen. His favorite treat though was ice cream, a big huge bowl at night or a milkshake or sundae with lots of whipped cream. Up until the end – he asked for this & even told me when we were going to the store to please get the “BIG TUB”.

Our dad loved music & dancing & this has carried over to all of his children & grandkids as well. We all love to dance! He loved Big Band & jazz music – with some of his favorites being Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra, & Jimmy Dorsey. He loved to polka & the jitterbug… One would always find our dad up on the dance floor with mom or one of us at the German club or family weddings. Up until the end, even when he was unable to stand, you would still see him tapping his fingers or bouncing his legs to the tunes when we played them for him.

This may be a final tribute… a day to celebrate our father’s life with memories and to say goodbye. But it’s not final. Every single day Dad, we will celebrate you in some small way, just by the virtue of God’s blessing of you & how you shaped each of our lives… the absolute and most incredible fortune that we knew you as our father and our friend.

In the words of Bishop Brent, we would like to share the poem “The ship”

A ship sails and I stand watching till she fades on the horizon and someone at my side says she is gone.
Gone where? Gone from my sight, that is all. She is just as large now as when we Iast saw her.
Her diminished size and total loss from my sight is in me, not in her.
And just at that moment, when someone at my side says she is gone, there are others who are watching her coming over their horizon and their voices take up a glad shout – here she comes, here she comes!

This is what dying is… A horizon and just the limit of our sight.
Lift us up O Lord, that we may see further.