When I think about my Dad, the word that come's to mind is legacy. Dad gave me and my family an incredible legacy that will impact generations to come. So let me tell you a little bit about my Dad and what he meant to me as his son.
A Legacy of Faith
He was
born on May 23, 1935 at his parent’s home on 713 Stanwood Street in
Philadelphia. When my dad was 14 he had a life changing experience. He went to Pine Brook Camp and heard the
gospel and made a commitment of faith in Jesus as his savior. When he came home from camp, my grandmother
was thrilled, my grandfather was not happy at all. Eventually my grandfather left the family and
never had contact with them again. This
was very hard for Dad, but he continued to out his faith in many ways. Dad started a Bible study group in Lincoln
High School. He helped with Youth
rallies, playing the saxophone.
After graduating from Lincoln High School, he went to Philadelphia
College of Bible and King’s College. At
King’s dad worked in the maintenance department and learned to be very handy
with electrical, plumbing and basic carpentry.
I always admired dad’s ability to fix just about anything. After graduating from college, God continued
to lead him and he decided to pursue the ministry and enrolled in the Reformed
Episcopal Seminary.
Dad was a man of faith who sought to live what he preached. I can tell you that he does not want us to
mourn his loss, but to celebrate that he is with the Lord who he lived for and
in the heaven he preached about.
A Legacy of Love
While he was a seminary student, Bethany Temple Church in
Philadelphia was looking for an assistant pastor and offered him the position. This
led to the most momentous meeting of his life, next to the Lord. Sitting in church that first Sunday was a
lovely young woman by the name of Joan Walker.
Now it is important to note that Dad was 6 foot 5, and Mom is 6 foot 2. Mom was sitting with some girlfriends and
they all told my Mom, “Look at him Joan, you gotta get this guy!” There was a receiving line to meet the new
assistant pastor. As they shook hands,
Dad said, “Boy, you have cold hands.”
Mom replied without skipping a beat, “Yes, but I have a warm
heart.” Mom will tell you she fell for
his smile and his dreamy eyes.
They started dating and were married on December 27,
1958. Next week would have been their 54th
wedding anniversary. What a legacy of
love that we can all admire!
A Legacy of Ministry and Service
During Dad’s time in seminary, he took a tour for local
clergy of Philadelphia Police Headquarters. The idea occurred to him that
police officers come in contact with people, especially troubled youth, that
normally don’t attend church and Sunday School.
Dad had a heart for kids and thought the church could do a better job
helping kids and families in trouble. So
after seminary he went to the Philadelphia Police Academy. He earned a sharpshooter award and was top in
his class in judo. He became the first
ordained minister in the Philadelphia Police Department. The Philadelphia Bulletin did an article on
his work and called him “The minister with a badge.” I was talking to Rev. Mel Floyd this week,
who joined the department after my dad. He remarked that dad was trailblazer for
combining ministry with a career in law enforcement.
Dad started out as a patrol officer in the 26th
district. During his second year on the street he was severely injured when a drunk driver hit the police motorcycle he was riding. He eventually recovered and finished his time on street patrol in a red car (Mom said no more motorcycles). Later he transferred to Juvenile Aid Division where he finished out his time with the department. He
got to know pastors around the city and sought to connect troubled kids with
church youth ministries. He also pastored a small church in Southwest Philadelphia,
Reconciliation Church, and later St. Marks Church in Rydal.
Out of his frustration with the huge case loads in JAD, Dad
became a state parole officer. The idea
here was to get them as they are coming out, instead of when they are going
in. The case loads were smaller and it
gave dad the chance to have longer contact with the men and women on parole and
their families. It was still dangerous
work, especially making arrests for parole violations. But Dad sought to make a difference in the
lives of his parolees. After Dad retired
as a parole agent, worked for Montgomery County Coroner’s Office as an
investigator.
A Legacy of Fatherhood.
As proud as I am of my dad, this is what matters most to
me. As busy as he was, Dad always had
time for me. Dad was the one who taught me to ride a bike, hit and throw a
baseball, fish and hunt. He taught me
how to drive. Before I got a permit, he
let me drive the family car on the church parking lot after I washed it. Mom wasn’t thrilled with this, especially
when he was in the kitchen while I drove. He taught tune up my first car, a 68
Plymouth satellite 2 door with a 318 engine. He taught me about the birds and
the bees, in fact, I think we had 3 talks about that!
Dad was a gun guy and a gadget guy. He was a certified pistol, rifle, and shotgun
instructor, a life member of the NRA, and a police firearms instructor for the
Parole Department. Dad taught me gun
safety and how to shoot. I remember many
hours with him at the target range or out in the field hunting. When I was a teenager, I developed an
interest in short wave radio (I am also a gadget guy). Once again, Dad used it as an opportunity to
spend time with me. So he suggested that
we take classes to become licensed ham radio operators. When we passed our FCC test, we sent in our
applications together and got consecutive call signs, Dad was WB3HHO and I am
WB3HHP.
The most important thing God instilled in me is faith. When I was 6 years old, one day I was sitting
on my dad’s lap. I had questions about
God and he prayed with me to accept Christ as my savior. Dad was always supportive of me and was
always willing to talk about anything.
He was a big man, but always approachable. Dad had a great sense of
humor. He loved to joke and tease. He relished that as I got older, he had more
hair than me. He was very generous and
gave to his church, many missions and other causes. He also helped many people quietly through
the years.
Dad was so excited when I proposed to Phyllis. He took to her right away and said she was
the daughter he never had. He loved her
as his own. He loved to spoil her. He also loved getting to know Phyllis’
family, especially her brothers Joe and Steve.
And then when we started having our children, he was the proudest
grandpa on the planet. If you look at
the family pictures, you can see his biggest smiles are when he is holding one
of our kids. Dad was a great prayer
warrior for all of us. Always asking
what he could pray about. He is so proud
of each of his grandchildren. He loved spending time with us in Cape May and treating us to great meals, breakfast at McGlade's, dinner at Lucky Bones or special occasions at the Washington Inn.
Dad loved animals and especially birds and dogs. He had a dog much of his life. In his later years he gravitated toward
schnauzers. Dad absolutely spoiled his
dog. One friend said that if he believed
in reincarnation, he would want to come back as Dad’s dog.
Over the last 10 years dad developed a rare, genetic,
nuero-muscular disease called adrenomyelone nuropathy. In the last four years it took more and more
from him. For us as a family, living
with someone with AMN is like a very long goodbye, especially since late
August. But dad was very determined and fought it all the way. But he also was clear that he wanted to leave
this world on his terms. We transferred
Dad to hospice last Friday, and Dad was completely aware of what this
meant. He faced his impending death with
the same guts he displayed on the streets of Phildadelphia. Over the weekend we
all had times to talk to him and tell him how much we love him. He is now free from a body that was simply
giving out on him. Thanks Dad for your
legacy, I know it will continue for generations to come. I love you and we will miss you.
