January 4th 2013 marked the 40th anniversary of my father’s passing.

I lost my daddy before I had grown up enough to call him ‘dad’ or ‘father’ to me he was still-daddy. He never saw me married..or met my children, let alone my grandchildren! Oh, how many times have I wish he could have been here for all of these past 40 years. The questions I have, would fill a library.

I was his princess–and he was my knight and shinning armor–to me he could do anything.

He would play “Sweet Leilani” anytime he found it on a jukebox–which was too often for me–at least that’s how I felt when I was young. Now every time I hear the song it’s like he’s singing it just to me.

He tried in vain to get me “into” math like he was–he used to correct my math homework using his slide rule! One of his favorite sayings was, “liars will figure, but figures never lie”. My dad was career Navy, ending his 23 years at Lockheed in Burbank, CA, flying P-3A’s, it’s primary use was for pinpointing submarines before a torpedo or depth bomb attack.

He made the best banana splits, and the best Texas Bar-B-Que sauce. He was the original Grill Master! He could crack a bull whip, while wrapping it around our waist, without us even feeling it. He could “crack” a cigarette out of my mom’s mouth with his bull whip…the neighbor kids thought my dad was “boss”, so did I. On hot summer days he would bring home the biggest watermelon he could find and cut it up on the front lawn to share with all the neighbor kids–we of course would show our appreciation by having a seed spitting fight! He taught us kids how to play mumbletypeg. He could fold dollar bills into bow ties (I think my girlfriend Alana, still has a $5 bow tie), and make flying paper dragons. His chocolate covered Easter eggs were so rich and sweet—it makes my teeth hurt just thinking about them!

His favorite hobby was model airplanes, he especially loved the balsa wood with silk kits. I can still smell the dope he used. He’d spend hours perfecting some tiny intricate piece to get it just perfect. He would paint them with such precision and then go fly them…only to see them eventually crash…then go start another one. He would let me and by brother have the broken ones to play with. He also did beautiful leather tool work, I have the bull horn set he made for his best friend Bill.

I remember when I had the Hong Kong flu in ’68…it was late at night and I’d had the flu for a couple weeks, I woke to him kneeling at the side of my bed, praying–crying, asking God to take him, not his little girl. That epidemic killed an estimated one million people worldwide.

He loved Hawaiian music, his favorite, Alfred Apaka. He loved Dean Martin, his favorite female singer was Teresa Brewer but Kate Smith was his favorite for singing God Bless America.

He brought my mother flowers for every occasion…especially happy nothing days.

My son Brian has his bearing–a quiet strength–and my dad’s ability to tell a good story, he has dad’s easy and infectious laugh. I think they would have been good friends. Dad would have loved Keri–she is just the spitting image and temperament as her granma Doris. I see both my parents in my grandchildren…

I am–looking forward to the day when we will all finally come together–that is my prayer.

I miss you daddy…your sweet Leilani