I wrote and gave this speech last fall. This is honor of my dad on fathers day!
It was Thanksgiving Day 2002 and my wife, kids and I had just arrived at my in-laws house to celebrate Thanksgiving. You could smell the turkey and hear the sound of football in the background along with young cousins jabbering about the fun they were about to have. I just settled down on the couch when the phone rang thinking nothing about it until my brother-in-law tells me the phone is for me. Someone calling me at my in-laws is not a good sign especially on a holiday. It was my oldest sister and the moment she spoke I knew it wasn’t good news. She went to pick up my dad for Thanksgiving dinner and found him dead in his bed. He passed away the way he always wanted to go, in his sleep. It didn’t make it any easier for the rest of us. My mom had passed away 6 years earlier on New Years Eve so it was now left to the three of us to be the leaders of the family. The drive that day from Andover to Eagan was the quietest and longest drive my wife and I had ever taken.
This isn’t about my dad’s death it is about the legacy he left behind. Despite the fact that my dad wasn’t your proto typical dad who took me to sporting events or played catch with me. I'm the one who turned him on to sports but we had a lot of fun times together. There are some great lessons I learned from him. Sometimes many of those lessons aren’t realized until someone passes away and we are well into our adult years. That is how it was for me. The three major lessons I learned from my father over those years we were on this earth together are INTEGRITY, DEDICATION and FAITH.
INTEGRITY:
My dad didn’t grow up wealthy and he didn’t think he was that smart, but one thing he had was integrity. He obtained his GED and then enlisted in the service and spent part of World War II in northern Africa. Once married he was dedicated to providing the best for his family he got a job as a customer service rep for a trucking company and stayed there until he retired. But it wasn’t the only job he had he also was elected the treasurer of the company credit union and stayed in that role even after he retired. I said earlier that he didn’t think he was the smartest but it was his integrity that helped him be successful at what he did. There wasn’t anyone else that the credit union would rather have had as treasurer than my dad. He was able to provide a comfortable life for his family. We were never without and the partnership he formed with my mom (his wife) for almost 50 years made our little life on 34th Avenue in Minneapolis almost Ozzie and Harriet like.
DEDICATION:
My dad had dedication. Not only was he dedicated to providing for his family he was dedicated in everything he did. He knew that despite everything and anything that can happen, you must remain strong, dedicated and you must persevere through every storm in life. He never gave up until his heart gave out and then it was peaceful and restful because he knew he was dedicated to his family and his life. I remember a time when my dad got up for work he usually drove but this particular day there was a snow storm so he decided to take the bus. He could have easily stayed home and said it was too bad out there, but he was dedicated. He walked to the bus stop and waited, and waited, and waited but the bus wasn’t coming so he started walking. He was dedicated to get to work. He knew at some point the bus would catch up to him. It never did, he made it all the way to work walking in a snow storm only to get there and find all the doors locked. That is true dedication to his job. He was the only one to make it to work that day.
FAITH:
My dad had unwavering faith for his fellow man and especially for God. He always looked to find the best in people and seemed to always be friends with everyone. Sometimes this can be a detriment because people may take advantage of you. This wasn’t the case for my dad he was too well liked to be taken advantage of. It was his faith in God that really defined him and helped shape who I am today. I believe that when people are getting close to the end of their time on the earth they can sense it and know their time is short. I think that was the case for my dad. What does this have to do with faith? He told me something about two months before he passed away. He said “ I pray for all the grand kids everyday because I need to know they will be safe when I leave”. Instead of praying for himself he unselfishly was praying for others, true faith in action.
My dad George Andersen born on George Washington’s Birthday and died on Thanksgiving. That is fitting for a man who presidentially led his family and died giving thanks to God for the life he led. He continues to lead today by guiding me with the legacy he left through his integrity, dedication and faith.
I love you and miss you dad
