This is always a special day to honor and remember our fathers, whether they were present in our lives or not; whether they were a great role model or not; whether they are here on earth or have passed on to the next life.

The featured picture is my father, Earl. He’s a young man in this picture, getting ready to go to Europe for two and a half years in WW II to fight for our country. He’s a newly married man to my mother, as well as a new convert to Catholicism. On their wedding day, he received Confirmation, Holy Eucharist and the sacrament of Matrimony.

After returning from the war in ‘45, he started farming,
and together they raised four children and many farm animals. He was a loving, deeply family oriented, generous, give the shirt off his back kind of man. His disposition was happy, humble and a friend to all he met. From him, I learned important life matters skills: honesty, solid work ethics, gentle strength and faith in our Lord.

My heart is filled with gratitude that God chose him for my father. He has been gone now for 37 years, but his love, his life model, and his one of a kind smile will always remain with me.

PJP