You were a typical outdoors guy.
The kind that never wears anything besides
Boat shoes and Ray Bans in the summer
and spent your most memorable times either
hunting deer or fishing.
You made my time spent fishing at the Lake of the Ozarks
some of my most memorable moments.

You were not a typical father.
Raising your son and two daughters was
on the top of your priority list, but
there were many things underneath.
You not only had to protect your own family,
but thousands of others as well.
Every night, when you left to drive
your squad car around the city,
you risked your own life in order
you protect everyone else’s.
For that,
I admire you.

I admire that even though you had all
these other responsibilities, you still found
plenty of time to spend with me.
You taught me simple life lessons.
Right from wrong.
and more importantly,
how to read the Super Mario 3 strategy guide
and how to catch a baseball with two hands,
not one.

Unfortunately,
You also taught me to never smoke.
Most parents constantly tell their kids
to never pick up a cigarette and that they
Kill.
You
showed me first hand.

I will never forget the last time I saw you.
The last time I ran to greet you with a hug at the door.
The last time we laid on the couch together enjoying
the TV and
Each other.
You weren’t an ordinary dad.
You were
My dad.

I hope the hunting and fishing up above
Is as good as it was down here.
I hope they have nicer TV’s to play
Mario on,
and that there’s plenty of Old Style to go around.
I hope that you finally learned not to smoke
and that you never think you let me down.
You taught me more than I could have asked for
in the six years we were together.
I only have two things to say.
Thank You.
And
I Love You.