I haven’t written much about my Father or Mother in the past year or so, but my memories are always living  just below the surface. My Father was the ultimate handyman. Electrician, plumber, mason, carpenter, home remodeler, painter, car mechanic. It never really matter what the task was, or how big it was, he was up to it. When he and my mother decided they needed a garage, instead of checking the bank account to see what would be left when the “garage builders” got paid, they checked the smaller account to make sure there was enough for material. He built it in a reasonable amount of time, all while working full-time, and of course being a father and a husband. He laid the cement floor, he built the frame and finished the sides, he put the roof on, he bought a garage door and set everything up and hung it. I’m surprised he didn’t build that too. He wired it for electricity and ran all the electrical conduit and wires from the house to the garage, which was built intentionally towards the back of the lot. He put in a oil furnace and got it working. That was so my Mother would have a warm car to get into. His work never really stopped on one project or another until he was in his late 60s. His projects, and the fact that my Mother worked an outside job for most of my life, gave my Sister and I a very comfortable home and upbringing. He was a bit too old for the computer years, but I have absolutely no doubt, that if computers had happened a little earlier, he would have understood them thoroughly and might have even built a website or two. If it would have benefited his family I know he mastered that technology. I complained to him once that somehow I missed the handyman gene when it was passed out. He confided that he never really felt he was suited for those tasks anymore than anyone else. He just did them anyway. The truth is that he did them because he wanted all of our lives to be good. If it sounds like I am bragging on my Dad again, well, that’s exactly what I am doing. I certainly doubt that I ever said thank you for all that he did. I took it for granted. I know it’s a little late now, but thank you Dad and Happy Father’s Day to you and all the great dads out there. God Bless,                                                                                                                                            Wayne