To you fathers out there, happy Father’s Day!
A word about my own Dad, who passed away in 2012.
My father was a quiet man wholly devoted to his family. He was wise and humble. He would do anything for my mom, and was always thinking of her, her comfort and her happiness, and the only thing that could make him angry at us kids was if we mistreated or disrespected her. She was the love and light of his life for nearly 70 years. That said, he did like to watch shows on tv that displayed women’s “boobies,” as he used to call them. Mom was amused by this foible rather than angered, and he never watched actual porn, just shows like “Game of Thrones.”
Dad served in WWII, in the ETO. He never saw combat, but did see its effects, as he worked a radiology tech on a hospital ship that sailed between NYC and Paris. He never spoke much about his service, except for a few amusing stories about public toilets in France. He was very proud of his volunteer efforts on behalf of the USCG Auxiliary, of which he was a member for over 25 years, rising in the ranks to nat’l level. Dad was an avid boater. He loved to go fishing, but was really bad at it! Sorry, Dad! The only really notable catch he made was a huge tarpon in the Florida Keys. Typically, he credited my then 13 year old sister with the catch, but we all knew the truth!
Dad wasn’t much of a cook. He broiled steaks. The outside was burned, the inside bloody and nearly raw, which was how he liked them. He owned several grills over the years, but maybe used each one two or three times before they rusted out. He loved my cooking, as long as I kept anything even remotely spicy far away from the dishes I prepared. He thought bell peppers were spicy!
Some people may have been under the impression that Dad was stingy. He wasn’t. He grew up in the Great Depression, and was frugal, always looking for a way to save a penny or a dollar. Ironically, he would spend hundreds pursuing frugality, buying whole sides of beef at Costco and deep freezing them. They would languor in the freezer, sometimes for years, and inevitably get tossed. But he never ever let his family want for anything, and even while he was trying to instill a sense of thrift to us kids, he spoiled us rotten.
I hope and pray that you’re at peace, Dad. I know you were so very tired at the end of your stay on this earthly plain. I miss you very much, every day.
REST IN PEACE
BENJAMIN HERBERT STRAUSS
25 JUNE 1923 - 08 AUGUST 2012
“A Quiet Hero”
A word about my own Dad, who passed away in 2012.
My father was a quiet man wholly devoted to his family. He was wise and humble. He would do anything for my mom, and was always thinking of her, her comfort and her happiness, and the only thing that could make him angry at us kids was if we mistreated or disrespected her. She was the love and light of his life for nearly 70 years. That said, he did like to watch shows on tv that displayed women’s “boobies,” as he used to call them. Mom was amused by this foible rather than angered, and he never watched actual porn, just shows like “Game of Thrones.”
Dad served in WWII, in the ETO. He never saw combat, but did see its effects, as he worked a radiology tech on a hospital ship that sailed between NYC and Paris. He never spoke much about his service, except for a few amusing stories about public toilets in France. He was very proud of his volunteer efforts on behalf of the USCG Auxiliary, of which he was a member for over 25 years, rising in the ranks to nat’l level. Dad was an avid boater. He loved to go fishing, but was really bad at it! Sorry, Dad! The only really notable catch he made was a huge tarpon in the Florida Keys. Typically, he credited my then 13 year old sister with the catch, but we all knew the truth!
Dad wasn’t much of a cook. He broiled steaks. The outside was burned, the inside bloody and nearly raw, which was how he liked them. He owned several grills over the years, but maybe used each one two or three times before they rusted out. He loved my cooking, as long as I kept anything even remotely spicy far away from the dishes I prepared. He thought bell peppers were spicy!
Some people may have been under the impression that Dad was stingy. He wasn’t. He grew up in the Great Depression, and was frugal, always looking for a way to save a penny or a dollar. Ironically, he would spend hundreds pursuing frugality, buying whole sides of beef at Costco and deep freezing them. They would languor in the freezer, sometimes for years, and inevitably get tossed. But he never ever let his family want for anything, and even while he was trying to instill a sense of thrift to us kids, he spoiled us rotten.
I hope and pray that you’re at peace, Dad. I know you were so very tired at the end of your stay on this earthly plain. I miss you very much, every day.
REST IN PEACE
BENJAMIN HERBERT STRAUSS
25 JUNE 1923 - 08 AUGUST 2012
“A Quiet Hero”
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