Did he use the cell phone in his pocket?

Did he call on his land line phone?

No, he grabbed his flashlight, pointed out his window at the window of the nursing office and began to signal SOS.  He was a little ticked off when no one responded.

Seriously....you can't make this stuff up

Ellen

Typical Sunday morning in Maine growing up and going to church.  Now, you know you have to give your contributions.  So when the receiving basket came down the Newman family row it was just the normal thing right?  Oh No!!  I went to pass the basket to Dad.  He thought I still had a hold of it and I thought he had a hold of it.  WRONG!  The basket crashed to the floor dumping all the money all over creation. 

And do you know Dad’s reaction was?  “For Christ’s Sake Diane!!!”  Then the argument of who dropped it started.   Don’t you just love a quiet church?

Diane

Tiffany

Here we go again!   Really?  The stories I have with Dad are crazy.  Yet, if you think about them, the end result was teaching somebody a lesson of how to show respect.   Maybe this was God’s way of using Dad on this earth.  Maybe he was God’s “Hands on Influencer”.    Fun to think about isn’t it?

Anyway, Dad and I are golfing again.  This time we were in Hagerstown Maryland.  What a gorgeous day it was.  Man we were having fun!  Dad was teaching me how to use a sand wedge in various ways and circumstances.  To this day, I still have his gifted wedge and there is not a time when I pick it up that I don’t think of my father and his teachings.

That day we had a young group of four guys following us on the course.  Now, we were not playing slow and messing up the pace, but those boys kept hitting into us.  Not even yelling “Four!”  At one hole, Dad waited for the boys and asked them kindly to stop it.  All was good right?

No!!   Those boys hit into us again!  This time I was standing in the middle of the fairway (really I was in the middle) getting ready to swing when their ball came screaming by my head pathetically close.  Dad was sitting in the cart and saw it.  Holy Moly!  He took off in that cart.   Those boys knew he was coming and he was some kind of mad!  When Dad reached the tee box, all the boys sat down on the ground immediately and waited for their reprimand.  Boy, did they get a verbal reprimand from Dad.   I could hear him screaming at them.  He was telling the BIG BALL HITTER, that he will have to learn patience and wait all his life in this game of golf etc.   Needless to say, their ball never came near us again.

When Dad got back to me he was calm.  Really he was.  As if he could turn his temper on and off with a switch.  Now, Dad did one thing wrong and I made sure I told him.  “Dad, like what the ***, you left your backup behind.”  As if he would ever need a backup. 

Diane

Dad’s Golf Partner

Dad taught me how to golf.  What a blast we would have!  Of course, after a round of golf, Dad and I would head for the bar.  This time, we were in Fairfield PA.  We stopped at a little joint (as Dad would say it) and bellied up for a bloodmary.    Unfortunately, again, there was a Jerk there.  The ladies room was calling my name and I got up to do my business.  When I did, the Jerk said some very disrespectful sexual comments about me and slapped Dad on the back.   Needless to say, Dad’s face went purple.  Fortunately, I heard the guy make the comments and I was ready for what was coming next. 

Dad got up, turned around and said:  “That’s my daughter you ***”.   Well, if you knew my Dad, you can imagine what was going to happen.    I surely did.   So, I held the exterior door open knowing the Jerk was going through it and not by his free will either.  Dad got ahold of this guy like a ragdoll and literally threw him out the door.  The man kept yelling:  “Man, I did not know that was your daughter!” 

Dad had one thing to say:  “Diane, thanks for saving the door, I only brought so much money on the trip”. 

That was the one time I held the door for Dad.

Diane

In Frederick Maryland, Dad and I were at a bar downtown (go figure).   As we always did when we were together, we held hands and hugged a lot.  When leaving the bar, Dad opened the door with his arm around me just as two couples were passing by.  One old lady said to the other:  “That is disgusting”. She was referring to Dad being with a very much younger (then gorgeous) girl.  Dad leaned over on me as if he were drunk and said: “What did you say your name was honey?” and my response was “Candy”.  Well, those two old ladies about had a heart attack.  They growled, shook their heads and acted like a bunch of jealous hypocrites.  As for Dad and I, we were crying laughing!   Dad then made us hurry to my car, which just happened to be a 1966 Chevy Malibu Convertible white on white with red interior.   He made me drive and Dad scooted over really close with his arm around me.  We soon drove past the two old ladies and he waived like crazy.  Too much fun!!

Diane

Aka Little Billy

He would shake his packages and try to guess what was inside. After opening each package he would say "now, that's enough I don't need any more presents,.....but if you insist!!!!

Every year on Christmas morning after opening his gifts, he would say,  "well I have to go home now, so I can walk in the front door and everyone will be able to see me carrying my loot home".

While he loved opening gifts, he loved giving gifts even more. 

Sharing Christmas with Dad was spectacular.  It will never be the same.

Ellen

Ellen

The prayers were quiet, peaceful and beautiful.  I could feel the warmth of tears on my face.

When Father Malo was done blessing him with the sacrament of the sick, Dad quietly stated "so I'm all approved?'  Father Malo smiled and simply nodded yes and I smiled too.  Something tells me God also smiled.

Ellen

He immediately called me on his on-star.  I met him at the accident scene  just as he was being loaded into the ambulance.  He began to loudly state "oh no, my rib, my rib!".  The EMT's began to cut off his brand new LL Bean jacket that he had received for Christmas so they could examine his rib.

Dutifully leaning in to Dad's ear as he continued to yell about his rib, the paramedic asked, "which one sir?".  To which Dad responded, "My prime rib, it's in the oven, it will be ruined!!".

A few weeks later when he received a call from the other driver's insurance company asking him what he would settle for because of the accident. Dad stated simply, "All I want is a new LL Bean jacket".  A few weeks later, a new jacket was delivered to him.

Many a trip Dad and I had to the emergency room over the years and this was the first story he told to anyone (an everyone) that would listen.

Ellen