Born: June 20, 1908; Died July 2, 1982

A most remarkable man who never seemed to loose his temper, my dad was always a 'gentle' man. He was born in 1908, on a farm in Gurnee, Illinois the third son. He had one younger brother. He was alive during both World Wars and the Great Depression in the US.

Though he'd been a sickly child, he was never excused from any of the duties of a child who needed to help out on the farm. In high school, he was on the football team, because everyone was on the team. If they were not, there would not have been enough players. I saw the team picture; they wore leather helmets, none of the modern padding and such and all the guys were of average build.

As a young man he decided to 'go to the City' and went to Chicago where he found a job at a local bank. I heard the stories of how, because he was rather poor, he'd go to the little diner and order one bowl of soup and then ask for so many extra crackers, the soup was almost solid. (They would only give you extra crackers if you put them in the soup - guess my dad wasn't he only one who used that trick to get full.)

He'd always been interested in numbers and keeping books, so it was a natural move for him to further move into accounting and finally into becoming an auditor. He moved back near home to the 'booming' town of Waukegan. There he was hired by the First National Bank; the biggest bank in the area. It was there that he met my mother and after seven years of his following her about, she finally agreed to marry him.

He was certainly persistent.

I think what I remember most about my dad was that he always had a cheerful word for us. My brother and I were not angels, and he did discipline us, but was always sad when we did something wrong, and told us that. What a way to make a kid feel bad; to have disappointed him! He believed in our goodness; in our talents, and in our ability to make a mark in the world. He didn't want us getting into trouble.

We grew up in the 40's and 50's. A time in the USA of increasing prosperity; real prosperity, where the ordinary person, with hard work, could improve his life and that of his family. My dad worked hard, eventually going out on his own as an auditor. He had an office in our home and taught us many important lessons in courtesy on the phone, at a restaurant, in a client's home. We often went with him on the job, especially when we were too young to stay home alone for a long time.

One of my dad's favorite phrases was: "It's only money; there are many more important things." He'd guided us through the 'give me' years and as young adults helped us to set priorities for what we really wanted out of life. He always supported our final decisions, and he often discussed them with us before decision time.

Dad, I am who I am in large part because of you.
Thank you,
Janet