Eulogy from a Middle Child

A Eulogy from the Middle Child

The three words that I would use to describe my father are disciplined, faithful & unselfish.   As a dad, he represented to his children what a husband and parent should be.   He taught his children the simple things in life, get a job, love & respect your spouse, sacrifice for the good of family & protect your wife and kids. 

He certainly was not without his faults however it was his strengths that influenced me to be the person that I am today.  He sacrificed his time, his desires and his lifestyle in favor of his family.   It is these things that I use as a point of reference when making decisions in my personal life as well as those within my immediate family.

While he certainly had an impact on my life and those of my brothers it did not stop there.  As an eighteen-year-old boy, he made the decision to sacrifice a college scholarship in lieu of serving his country for ten years in the Navy.   It will never be acknowledged but I’m confident that others were influenced to do the same because of his sacrifice.   Later in life, he opted to actively participate as a little league coach for ten years instead of using that time to pursue a better opportunity within his place of work.  Again, it will never be acknowledged but there is no doubt that there are many young men that were put on the right path in life because of him.

Did he like to have fun?  Absolutely but not at the expense of his family.   He was a faithful, dedicated man who was always there when needed.  Countless times I recall my father stepping outside what would be considered the comfort zone for most to be sure his family felt secure.   He came to my school when I felt bullied, he supported me when I was down and he did his best to understand the things that were spinning in my mind when no one else could understand.

In his career, my father was a man who had the ability to motivate others to be productive.  As a supervisor for thirty plus years for the DuPont Company, he contributed to the success of the organization by establishing good relationships with his employees prompting them to respond positively to his direction.   He clearly underestimated his ability to advance or was just satisfied with helping others achieve their goals because he appeared happy in his long-time role as a mid-level supervisor.

My father, like everyone, had some complexities the most obvious of which was his aversion to sharing his experiences with his own parents.  The gap in his life was mysterious but I’m confident that it was calculated and in his mind detrimental to the well-being of his children if revealed.   He had a goal in life and that was to change the direction of his family to something better than what he had.   Dad, I don’t know what you encountered but I can assure you that you have set the tone for those who you’ve left behind to have great lives.

I admire what my father did on this Earth and what he created and the legacy that he left behind.  He did not just exist but instead, he contributed and left behind expectations that those that follow contribute as well.