My Daddy
As a young boy, my Daddy would ride his bike with his friends from Staten Island to Harlem
My Daddy met my Mom at Empire roller rink in Crown Heights Brooklyn, fell in love and spent the next 75 years together
Daddy and Mommy raised four kids (Jacinta, Myron, Nita and Corey) starting in Manhattan and then in Queens where he became an urban gardener before urban gardening was a thing
My Daddy had a great New York accent - there is no "h" in three
My Daddy did not wait to be drafted but volunteered to serve in the Navy during the Korean war along with two friends from his Staten Island neighborhood. They were immediately separated after enlisting.
My Daddy is the one who would pick you up from the airport even if you were not in town to visit him (and even give you a gift for your trip)
My Daddy is the one who would listen and pick me up when I needed help. Even when I called to pick me up early from the horror movie I had no business going to see when I was twelve - The Exorcist
My Daddy built model houses out of toothpicks just for fun
My Daddy taught many people how to ride a bike and drive a car
My Daddy never met a road trip he did not like. With fried chicken wrapped in foil (for those that know) he drove us to see much of the US and parts of Canada
My Daddy could fix any mechanical thing he spent any time with
My Daddy had an amazing workshop basement and always had something to fix when I was in the basement with my friends. He kept watch.
My Daddy decorated everything. Houses, shirts, hats, cars, desks. My Daddy was sick but still decorated their place for Christmas this year
My Daddy never stopped while he was here
My Daddy was stronger than the Cancer that infected him. My Daddy was trying to exercise the very day he died. Long after cancer is gone the things my Daddy did will be felt
My Daddy was a good man
Like I told you as you were leaving Daddy, you fixed all you could here, now you can rest
I love you Daddy