Feb 11
If you’re reading this piece…Pater RIP
If you are reading this my father will have succumbed to his pancreatic cancer that had spread to his lungs and liver. His death has been a blessing to him as he was suffering greatly both from the cancer and the effects of what he had to be on so as not to be in pain.
As you might expect with a writer who writes as much as I do…I am dealing with it by writing about it (and a healthy dose of Fallout 3, the love of my dear wife Kim & the company of my dog). My wife has been a great deal of help to my mother and I have done my best to be support where needed. My father, even in his most ill times, preferred to be nursed by my mother and wife rather than me. Not that I can blame him to be honest. They are certainly much prettier than I.
My father was a chemical engineer who spent his working life with Texaco in various places in the world including Panama, Honduras, Pembrokeshire, New Jersey and various other locales. Its via this vagabond engineer lifestyle that I was able to have a proper primary education in West Wales and learn spanish by the immersion method in Honduras (and keep it in Miami). Thanks to his hard work this family was able to lead a comfortable lifestyle and I got the opportunity for an excellent education & great experiences.
Once my parents retired to Maine he did not let his talent go to waste. He did water testing up until the time he was too ill to do so. My father knew every nook & cranny in the town of Harpswell. He was given an award for his service and he even managed to teach other people how to take samples.
While my path in life did not follow his, except maybe to end up in the UK for a while, we did share a common bond of rabid desire for knowledge. He and I read voraciously, more often than not he would read my non-fiction books and mine his (exception being metal music for him & sports for me).
We both shared a passion for politics, maybe a bit more in my case, but I learned it from him. We used to debate vigorously over the inches over which social conservatives differ from the libertarian variety. We could debate for hours over policy pendantries that drove my mother and later my wife mad.
We shared a passion for music as well. He played brass instruments in high school, while I sang, he appreciated performance. While my father was a much of a jazz nut as I am of hard rock & heavy metal, he taught me how to appreciate other forms of music. Thus there are very few forms I will not listen to at all. I have always said that I believe I took his musical interests and built on them, never scoffing at them nor criticising them. (Though he did mine as is natural for a father…) The fact that I am a music critic and have my own band is directly related to the musical interests that I got from my father.
The only thing we really did not see eye to eye on was sports. He liked baseball, football (of the thrown variety), cricket and hockey (and would watch live football (soccer) & rugby). I could care less about any sports baring a bit of British Touring Car Championship and NASCAR. He earnestly tried to get me interested in his beloved Red Sox, Patriots & Bruins, but it never really worked. I liked to see them win for his sake because it made him happy.
As far as I can tell, before the Red Sox started winning again recently, a die-hard Red Sox doesn’t need the blues because their team is enough for them.
He welcomed my wife Kim into the family and realised what a catch she is from the first time he met her.
All in all we had our squabbles and there were things about each other that quite frankly befuddled us. We shared a love for my mother, my dog(s) and music. And you really can’t ask for much more than that can you?
Requiescat in pace
15 Comments so far
[...] Andrew Ian Dodge pays tribute to his father. [...]
My condolences.
He will be missed.
I’m very glad to have made his acquaintance.
I’m sorry Andrew, my condolences.
My sympathies to you and your family .. a loss like this is never easy
[...] you are wondering about the title…here is the [...]
[...] 321st edition of Carnival of the Vanities is dedicated to Andrew Ian Dodge’s late father, the “vagabond engineer”: While my path in life did not follow his, except maybe to end up in the UK for a while, we did [...]
[...] …for Andrew and his Dad. [...]
What a beautiful testimony of a son’s love for his Father. I know you;ll miss him, I do mine, but treasure those memories closely.
God bless you and your family.
I’m so sorry to hear the news Andrew, my condolences for you and your family at this time.
[...] View original post here: If you’re reading this piece…Pater RIP [...]
Sad news from a friend…
A good friend of mine and fellow blogger, Andrew Ian Dodge, who is also an occasional commenter here, writes about his father, who died this week after an illness. Rest in peace…….
I wish you a long life.
Sorry to hear this. Take comfort in what sounds like a close family. Speaking from experience, you never get over it, but you come to terms with it - something quite different.
Sorry to hear Andrew. Very moving tribute. Sounds like he was a great man. You and your family have my deepest felt sympathy.
My condolences to all concerned.