My father and I were a lot alike. Both only children. Both loners as adults. Few acquaintances and even fewer friends. He could entertain children by wiggling his ears. I can’t. What we both shared was a quick wit and a love of animals. As a teenager, my Dad always tried to tease my girlfriends; some could take it, some couldn’t, but he’d always try. In his retirement, he’d take a long walk and stop at the halfway point for a seniors coffee at McDonald’s where he could chat up the ladies working there. He was quite fond of dog sitting for a neighbour. He was even known for eating his lunch on the back patio with the dog instead of inside the house with Mom. It’s ironic he never liked fried fish. His happy spot was a fishing lodge on Stoney Lake where we spent one week every summer. A rod, a reel and a wooden boat was all he needed (plus a sawed off javex bottle as the port-a-potty). No, he would not go to shore earlier than planned. My favourite memory is of him letting me waterski at that lodge knowing full well he was going to hear about it from my mom later. And he did, but I earned the water skiing flag at dinner that night so it was worth it for both of us. My father was endlessly loyal. Only ever worked for one employer his whole life, Fruehauf Trailer Company, where he met my Mom. They were married 60 years. That’s love and loyalty. I got to have him for 57 of those years. He leaves behind my Mom, Dorothy, me (Brenda Collard-Mills), my hubby Dutch, granddaughter Lyndsay (Troy), sister-in-law Marjorie Phillips, a small spattering of cousins, nieces and nephews, and a few four legged members as well. Our world just got a little smaller.
I like to believe our furry friends who have passed on really are at that rainbow bridge people talk about, waiting for familiar faces to arrive. So Dad, enjoy the endless cuddles waiting to greet you, chat up the ladies walking their dogs, and wiggle your ears all you want. It’ll put a smile on everyone’s faces; it did mine. As summer nears, Dad will go to his favourite fishing spot. May the line never snag and the fish always bite.