Eulogy for Dad September 14th 2007
Well , here we are, all drawn together today to say goodbye to my dad Jim.
Firstly I want to thank you all for coming to my dads send off today and as you all know he really would be happy to see he drew a pretty decent crowd. I’m sure he’s right here amongst us seeing as he loved being the centre of attention!! Well , Dad you certainly have our attention now.
I , of course grew up with him as my father and I loved him as most daughters do, I gave him a pretty hard time as a teenager and made him a grandfather way before he was ready for it! He loved my kids, even though I’m sure they drove him to distraction at times.
My family and I have shared dads life closely for the last 18 years or so, he lived with us after mum gave him the boot ,on and off until he finally settled in permanently for the past 7 years. We had reached an easy peace and things were going good for all of us until he was diagnosed with heart trouble. I guess that was the beginning of the end and I wish I’d been more prepared for this eventuating, but of course the thought of him passing didn’t enter my head., naïve I know. I wish I’d told him that I loved him more often.
My daughters Carly and Kim wish for me to say on their behalf that even though they had their differences with their Pop they loved him and cherish every moment they had with him. They remember the nicknames that he gave them as children, Rosie for Carly and Ikma for Kim and how he still would call them that when he felt like it.
When he returned home from a big trip away they would run out to greet him as his F100 rounded the corner for home. Dad of course took full advantage of their adoration and had them carry his bags into the house for him.
He loved all of his grandchildren and their children and he was looking forward to the birth of Kims new baby in January. He also loved and respected Carly and Kims partners , Matt and Craig and they looked up to him like a father.
My son Christopher had become very close to dad in the past few years and came to respect and love him for the man he was. Dad was very proud of Chris and how he had pulled his life together and become a hard working and loving husband to Tabatha .
My husband Steve has been his little mate and football buddy since he was 17years old, dad had filled in for Steves own father and Stephen had become his son, dad relied upon him to help him fix his truck and any other little odd job he needed doing, Steve always obliged, Dad has helped us out as often as he could and even though sometimes he annoyed the living daylights out of me I will be forever grateful that he was my dad, he was a character that cannot be forgotten, Bigger than Texas he would’ve said, Big, loud and brassy , and almost impossible to forget!!
We are all going to miss him and he has left a huge hole in our family which can never be filled, I will miss his laugh, his whistle, his voice and his presence and I doubt very much if I will ever get over losing him the way that I did, it just shouldn’t have happened that way. I’m so sorry dad that you didn’t get what you wanted, but I’m so proud of you for taking the chance to live, I’m so sad for you and me and all of us here that it didn’t pay off.
I know I will miss you forever and you will never be far from me.
Dad
I love you
Sleep peacefully now .
Love always Judith
) he got you to do it!!! I miss him too, I have so many memories I don't know where to start...how about being 10 years old and thrown into the back of his van with the greyhounds and go off on a nice 3 hour trip to the country races with the dogs slobbering all over me and Debbie!!!Deb would vomit sometimes, it was just lovely!