Friday, December 28, 2018
I first met Don about 23 years ago when he and Rosemary invited Doug and I to Myrtle Beach for a week. I was so nervous, thinking, "What if they don't like me? What if I don't like them?" Of course, they were perfectly lovely hosts and such a sweet couple. I was amazed by Don's ability to whip into a parking space at a high rate of speed. Terrified, but impressed!
Over the years they welcomed me into the family and in many ways, I got to see Don at his best. Vacation Don, Best-man Don, birthday party Don, Christmas Don and one of my favorites, Big Daddy! He was the perfect father-in-law. He never yelled at me to eat my peas or pester me to call him on a weekly basis. Although he did enjoy encouraging Ethan and Josh to get haircuts! Having lost my Daddy over 30 years ago, I’m so thankful that our boys got to spend time with Don and have a relationship with him. He was the perfect grandpa.
I hate that he was so hard on himself as a parent. He never gave himself enough credit for just being there - for all of us. That was one of the amazing things about Don. You always knew he would be there for you, cheering you on, supporting and loving you. I don't think Don saw the value of his dependability because it was so much a part of who he was.
Whenever Doug was faced with a big decision he would always call his Dad to get his level-headed opinion of the situation. Don was always supportive, thoughtful, helpful, and generous. To have that level of consistent support and enthusiastic encouragement is wonderful and rare.
We will miss his curiosity about our lives, his love and genuine concern for us, his appreciation of anything we did for him, the joy in his voice whenever we shared good news, and especially his eager smile. Our lives will feel unmoored, a bit precarious, a little more scary now. I just hope he knew how much we loved and appreciated him.
