Dad was a large man and has left a legacy behind at the mine in Thompson Manitoba that will take a life time for anyone to surpass. He was often refereed to as Superman for some of the strength he would display as he he did his job. To my Dad the word can’t is not in his vocabulary and the only words he wanted to hear was “Yes I can.” He did not believe in giving 100% to the job but always gave 150% and strive to give even more. He was the type of man who would do what he had to in order to get the job done.

I shall never say good bye, but will forever remember every Hello, I thank him for being my Dad and always have been very proud to have the honor to be known as one of his sons.

You will be missed and forever admired and loved. Thanks for the life you gave myself and my brother and sisters. Love you Dad.

My mother divorced my biological father when I was around four or five years old and around the time I was six, she married my stepfather. I have had very little interaction with my Biological father through out my life and was luck enough to have been raised by a man who not only took my sister and I into his home but also his heart. In fact when I had last talked or saw my biological father was at the age of seventeen and I have not heard from him since for the last 26 yrs.  I first met my step dad when I was around six years old and to this day I remember looking up at this mountain of a man and being afraid of him. This has never left me for I think then and there I knew he would expect my best behavior.

I remember once giving a description of this man to a friend. His arms are the size of, as the giant redwoods, and as strong. He is as tall as the highest mountain. His legs were as trunks of the might trees. His heart was deeper then any ocean or sea. His hands the size of the prairies, However, he was and gentle as the down of the goose. His mind is more open than that of the universe, this is how I see my step dad and well forever see him. He is the warrior with in me. All I do I do because he taught me that it is the right way for a man to be. From this point forward I will use only the term dad to describe him for he has earned the right to lose the step part of his title. He has been, and forever will be my dad. 

My dad was a hard rock miner now retired after over forty years of going in and out of the cold ground day after day. At times he would enter that place in the dark of night and exit out of that hole in the ground and into the dark of night. He did this each day week and month of each year for one reason his family. I am proud to say that he has taught me a great deal over the years and to this day I still learn from him. He has taught me how to hunt fish, live out in the bush he has taught me how to fix and repair many things and the greatest lesson he has ever taught me is that a man must respect, and honor woman for the are the ones who bear the children and keep the family strong. He also taught me that the worst thing a man can do in his life and what I see as the greatest sin is to strike out at a woman with an angry hand. For when a man reaches out to a woman it should always be with tenderness and respect.       

 I have fond memories of the kind of things my dad would do for others when they needed help and I have tried very hard to be like him in that way. I feel he does not want my brother and I to follow in his footsteps but wants us to do what is good and right through out our lives. I remember the tenderness he had when there were young children around and he would pick them up in his great hands, cradle them in the palm of those hands, smile, and see the innocence of the child as he held them. I remember a lot of the things my dad taught me and the endless hours we spent working on old cars and fixing things in the house and the trips to the bush. The camping trips, and the travels, to the place where he grew up in Sask. we called it the farm. I can recalled just about every Christmas day we had as a family and remember dad sitting up all night in order to make sure the turkey got stuffed and put into the oven on time and yes he had a few to many but he was what we call a happy drinker. I do not know why but they are the best turkey suppers I ever had in my life. I think maybe it is because that bird was cooked with a whole lot of love. 

I would now like to tell you the story. It is the greatest memory I have of my dad. It was my thirteenth birthday and he had promised to take me out fishing alone that day for my birthday. He woke me up early that morning and it was not to bad of a day seeing it was the beginning of October. We only drove down the highway for about half an hour. When we arrived at the lake, oh yes I was excited Who wouldn’t be, getting a chance to go fishing with alone with their dad, no brother, no sisters, tagging a long what a thrill.

We arrived at the lake and walked down to a small point that reach out onto the lake. We spent a few minutes there making cast after cast with no luck. I decided to cast between our rock and another rock on my left hand side. This is when I got the surprise of my life my hook had got snagged at the bottom and as I tried in vain to pull it out I stepped to close to the edge and slipped in to the chilly water there in front of me. This scared the heck out of me. I splashed around trying to get out and my dad stood there looking at me and he had this silly grin on his face and form his lips came this “words I know the fishing is not that great, but you don’t have to jump into the lake to try and catch them.”

Then the silent air filled with laughter not only from my dad but also from me. This had to be the greatest moment I have ever had with my dad. I had always seen my dad as the toughest and strongest and hardest man I had ever known until the fall of 1991 when my mother ended her battle with cancer. As we drove away, from the cemetery I sat beside my dad. I saw what the real meaning of love. There I saw, for the first time tears in the eyes of this mountain of a man. I had never seen a tear in his eye at all till that day. Even when he was hurt on the job, or hurt anytime, he always walked tall and proud no matter how bad the pain was. He is what a true warrior is. My Dad will always be the warrior within me.  

If I could be known as one quarter the man my dad is, then I have to say that I am proud of every bit of it for to been known, as his son is a great honor. I have not met too many men that I would say had the honor to stand on the same stone with my dad.

In closing I would like to place on you my favorite phrase. To each and everyone who has come into and gone out of my life be it I pray this for you.

May the Great Spirit watch over you with each and every step you place on Mother Earth May my brother the spirit of the wolf keep you safe and out of harms way may he share his wisdom with you with each passing of the sun and moon.

May the spirit of the Bear give you strength to handle the rough waters you travel in life

May the spirit of the turtle keep you healthy and your spirit strong?

For here we are all brothers and sisters.