In Memory of My Dad

I have been out of the loop for so long that I wonder if anyone remembers me? If you will recall, my Dad moved into our home in Arizona the beginning of October. We were blessed to have him here for three months. He had his problems with oxygen and breathing, moving about, and so forth. He always maintained his positive attitude and his sense of humor. He passed away very quickly on January 3. He kept us laughing til the end. That morning he said to me, "Do you think it is worth it to get another haircut?" I looked into his sparkling clear blue eyes and we both laughed. Who knew that he would be gone that evening? 

Because of my faith I know that when my father reached the final rung in his ladder of life, he kicked off that weary old body and stepped into eternity to join our mother Louise, and other loved ones.This is what takes the sting out of death. While we mourn his loss, we find joy in our faith in eternal life and eternal families. I feel like Dad is kicking up his heels to be rid of his failing body. It's funny, but no matter how old he was, I always saw youth in his eyes. That spark of who he really is was always shining through. We all loved him for that and for the love he gave us as family and as individuals. He made it his business to stay close to his friends and to each family member, including his great-great-grandsons who were here recently.

This photo is from Dad's 90th birthday last February, 2013. That's me on top, Granddaughter Becky, my daughter Polly, and Micah and Grey, Dad's great-great-grandsons. Five generations! Becky wrote a lovely post about Dad that expresses who he was and how much he loved us.

Dad's full name was Wallace James Winspear, Jim to his friends. He was born in Buffalo, New York in February 1923. He left behind five children, 23 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. 

We are so blessed to have had him in our lives and for the love and example he has given us. We cherish our memories and hope we can reflect his attributes in our lives. 

Until we meet again dear Dad!


 "Maybe I should talk about my future, but I don't know what will happen there. 
Actually, that is pretty exciting -trying to figure out what will happen in the future. What is it like? What do we do? How will we eat, love, move, breathe?  On one hand I can't wait to get there. On the other, I don't want to leave the ones I love here. So, I guess it's all the hands of our Heavenly Father and he's done a pretty good job of me so far. My life has had a lot of really good stuff happen so we'll see what the future brings. 
As for you, you have your whole life still stretched out in front of you and that sounds pretty exciting to me too."
Excerpt from a letter from Grampa Jim to Becky