Deeker's Message of the Week

September 21, 2008

In Loving Memory of My Father

It is with much sorrow and sadness that I am reporting this to you. My father passed away on Monday, September 15 at about 1:00 PM at home. He was 73 years old.

My father was indeed, a great man. He raised a good family and he was the best father to us (my two sisters and me) that he could be. He knew what was right for all of us. I am grateful for what he instilled in me and taught me. He never pushed me too hard or forced me to do things that I really did not want to do nor was incapable of doing. He maintained realistic expectations of us and he was always proud of what we, his children, accomplished. He was good and faithful to my mother, his loving and devoted wife of 45 years. He was a successful businessman, having operated a privately-owned small-town pharmacy for 31 years, one of the last of a dying breed in this country. His store was a landmark to our community and his name was prominently known throughout the community as he made many civic contributions over his many years of residency in what I still consider to be a small town just outside of Boise in spite of its exponential growth over the years.

I have enjoyed many fine times with my father. We went on many campouts and on several fishing trips together. We enjoyed many fine weekends at our cabin in the densely-wooded mountains north of Boise, a cabin he built himself. We took lots of scenic drives together and together we saw and admired much of the natural beauty my home state of Idaho and its neighbor, Oregon, have to offer. He organized many of our family's reunions and made them all fun and worthwhile. He was always a joy to have around at Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, and at other family celebrations and gatherings. I helped him use the computer for many of his personal and civic projects and I am glad to have been able to contribute. He helped me get through some of my difficult times with my studies in school, namely history. He loved history, especially the United States Civil War (for those outside the U.S., it was a period in the 1860s when the southern U.S. states split off from the rest of the nation due to issues over slavery). I valued his political opinions and I could always count on his advice at election time as he was always well-informed on such issues. I learned many great lessons from him, lessons that I will carry with me as I continue through my own life. I learned from my father the value of hard work and its rewards. I learned how not to take everything for granted. I learned to choose my friends wisely and to not trust everyone I meet. He taught me what is most important in life. He taught me to enjoy life but to live within one's means. He taught me to know that we must all face challenges in order to grow and become greater people. There are many other great things he did for me and things I did for him. We had many great times together.

My father was not only great to his family, but he was great to the community he served. The funeral service highlighted his many civic and business achievements, which included his work as a self-employed pharmacist, plus his involvement in several civic projects such as fundraiser auctions, serving on various municipal boards and groups, and getting a senior/community center built from donated proceeds. Perhaps they will rename the senior/community center that he worked so hard to get built in his honor. To me that would be a most appropriate gesture on the part of the community my father so proudly served.

Goodbye, father, thank you for all you have done for me. I know God will take good care of you. We'll meet again someday.

Throughout the week I debated with myself whether or not to update the web site for this week. As my father's passing happened last Monday I've had nearly a week to grieve and to cope with his passing, and with the funeral on Friday this has helped to bring closure to me and to my family. It has not been easy, especially in that it was unexpected. I did not post new stories last week due to a lack of new submissions received. This week I have a handful of stories to post. I have decided to post the stories as I know this is what people primarily come to this site for, and moreover, because even though my father, to the best of my knowledge did not know of this web site or perhaps even the fact that I enjoy wearing diapers, I know he would want me to continue doing the things that I enjoy doing. Therefore, I have posted the story updates, but have left all of the other regularly updated sections (survey responses, sightings, etc.) to be updated next week.