My Father Passed Away Friday August 6, 2010

My father's 88th birthday was July 23. I went to Allegheny Valley Hospital in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania to see him the week before he died as he had fallen down and broke his ankle. In talking to my mother, she said the he did not seem right for the past few weeks. I had never seen my father like this before, he seemed very confused and disoriented, whereas he was always very sharp. My brother Dave called me Friday night to say that he had passed away. The funeral service is in New Kensington, Pa. tomorrow, Monday. Please pray for my mother. They were married for fifty-six years, I believe.

I am not going to eulogize my father here. Let me just say that my father is the greatest man that I have ever known. He took care of his wife, and his children, family, and anyone else that he could help along the way. He owned his jewelry store business in Tarentum for forty-three years. I am in my twenty-sixth year, so he set the bar very high.

I will close this brief account on two notes. First, my father was always there, always there for me, and now he is not. I have lost the main foundation for my life.

Two, my father was a World War II hero. First, the Civil War Veterans are all gone. Next, according to a Google search, there are four surviving World War I Veterans. Lastly, there over two million World War II Veterans still alive, around the world. Fortunately, several years ago, Aaron, Richard, and I recorded his testimony of December 7, 1941. This was pleasing to him that his story would live on beyond him. Again, please pray for my mother as you watch and listen to him describe the incredible day that he lived through in the event that got the United States into World War II. John Chatterton, who was written about in the book Shadow Divers, emailed me after watching the video and said, "Living history like this needs to be preserved."