Hello. Wow, I look at all of you and it is such a testament to how beloved my dad was. That all of you chose to spend part of your Saturday to honor my dad’s memory means more to my mom, my sister Christie and I than words could ever express. So, thank you for being here. I know you all loved and cared about my dad, and I am up here to talk about why you all probably loved and cared about him so much.
“Dad just doesn’t understand me. I wish he would just leave me alone!” I remember saying that on numerous occasions growing up. You see, from elementary school until about eighth grade, I struggled academically. I had trouble with homework, my parents would get reports from my teachers about me being disruptive in class, and my grades were not on par with what dad would have like to have seen. My dad spent a lot of time working with me nightly to make sure my homework was done and gave me valuable guidance about study skills and organization that would eventually sink in with me.... Read more The peak of my academic ineptitude came in sixth grade, when our family first moved to Northern Virginia. I was missing Colorado, I didn’t know anyone, and I just didn’t fit in at school. I think I had one friend. The one great thing that happened that year was that my teacher, who was going to school to be a counselor, suggested I get tested for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. My parents got me tested, and as it turns out, I did have ADHD. My wife Brianne will tell you I still do. Despite that diagnosis, dad never let me use it as an excuse for poor academic performance. He continued to work with me, have conferences with my teachers, and eventually reaped the benefits of his efforts, as I reaped the benefits of my efforts. By high school, my grades were all A’s and B’s. I finally saw in myself what my dad saw in me all along: that I was a highly intelligent young man with a bright future ahead of him. After that, I saw my dad as someone who never gave up on anyone, who was willing to help people be successful in whatever they wanted to do. Whether it was helping my friends get job interviews after college, or helping his cousin’s son with his math homework, dad was there for family and friends alike.
Over the past month or so I have been talking to friends and family about dad, and as would be expected, everyone had nothing but positive things to say about him. But what stood out to me is that people who only met him once or a few times said that he left a lasting impression on them with his generosity, his sense of humor and his genuine kindness towards them. One friend from college recalled on Facebook his one interaction with my dad when he helped me move some things into my apartment and helped my new roommates with their things, and then took all of us to dinner at the local Mexican restaurant in Blacksburg. This friend recalls that dad was “such a great guy”. He had met dad once and dad had made such a positive impression on him. That is just who my dad was: a great man who strived to enrich the lives of those around him, whether it was his family members he has known for many years, or my college roommate he had just met. Dad was also funny. He was telling Dad Jokes before Dad Jokes were called Dad Jokes. Sometimes his jokes would get a loud laugh from me, sometime just an eye roll. But whatever the case, he wanted to make people laugh. But more than that, dad wanted people to see the potential they had to achieve great things and then go out and take the steps necessary to achieve them.
Dad had a big heart, filled with love, compassion generosity and kindness. Ultimately it was his heart that failed him on January 14th. In the days and weeks after dad’s passing, I have experienced a multitude of emotions: depression, anger and sadness. Sadness that dad is gone, for sure. But also, sadness that he never got to enjoy his retirement, never got to move out to Virginia with mom, build their house, and enjoy spending his days watch his grandsons Bryson and Colton grow up, do karate, play basketball and soccer and graduate high school. But when I came out to Colorado just after dad’s death, I was greeted by the love of extended family members who were there to support Christie and I with our grief while coming to grips with their own. I am forever blessed with the knowledge that whenever I come to Colorado, I have plenty of family members who love my wife, my kids and I immensely! In the past few weeks, I have cried less, and come to the realization that dad would want me to live my best life, to continue to be the great husband, father, son, friend and counselor I have been. I know dad would not want me, or anyone else, sitting around being miserable that he is gone. He would want all of us to live our lives to the fullest, figure out what our dreams are and go out and achieve them!
Lastly, my dad valued education. He was inspired by the books of Science-Fiction author Isaac Asimov to pursue his Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, and later his Master’s in Business Administration. This led to him having jobs that afforded him the opportunity to travel to such amazing cities as Stockholm, Paris, Johannesburg and Huntsville, Alabama. Dad passed on his passion for education to Christie and I, and I have been trying to figure out how to make dad’s legacy of education live on in his absence. To that end, it is my hope and desire to create a Memorial Scholarship fund in dad’s name to help students in my community pursue higher education in the STEAM subjects. I can find no better way to honor dad’s legacy than to help alleviate some of the financial burden of college tuition for some young man or woman who wants to pursue a degree in science, technology, engineering, art or math. Read less

Hello. Wow, I look at all of you and it is such a testament to how beloved my dad was. That all of you chose to spend part of your Saturday to honor my dad’s memory means more to my mom, my sister Christie and I than words could ever express. So, thank you for being here. I know you all loved and cared about my dad, and I am up here to talk about why you all probably loved and cared about him so much.
“Dad just doesn’t understand me. I wish he would just leave me alone!” I remember saying ... Read morethat on numerous occasions growing up. You see, from elementary school until about eighth grade, I struggled academically. I had trouble with homework, my parents would get reports from my teachers about me being disruptive in class, and my grades were not on par with what dad would have like to have seen. My dad spent a lot of time working with me nightly to make sure my homework was done and gave me valuable guidance about study skills and organization that would eventually sink in with me. The peak of my academic ineptitude came in sixth grade, when our family first moved to Northern Virginia. I was missing Colorado, I didn’t know anyone, and I just didn’t fit in at school. I think I had one friend. The one great thing that happened that year was that my teacher, who was going to school to be a counselor, suggested I get tested for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. My parents got me tested, and as it turns out, I did have ADHD. My wife Brianne will tell you I still do. Despite that diagnosis, dad never let me use it as an excuse for poor academic performance. He continued to work with me, have conferences with my teachers, and eventually reaped the benefits of his efforts, as I reaped the benefits of my efforts. By high school, my grades were all A’s and B’s. I finally saw in myself what my dad saw in me all along: that I was a highly intelligent young man with a bright future ahead of him. After that, I saw my dad as someone who never gave up on anyone, who was willing to help people be successful in whatever they wanted to do. Whether it was helping my friends get job interviews after college, or helping his cousin’s son with his math homework, dad was there for family and friends alike.
Over the past month or so I have been talking to friends and family about dad, and as would be expected, everyone had nothing but positive things to say about him. But what stood out to me is that people who only met him once or a few times said that he left a lasting impression on them with his generosity, his sense of humor and his genuine kindness towards them. One friend from college recalled on Facebook his one interaction with my dad when he helped me move some things into my apartment and helped my new roommates with their things, and then took all of us to dinner at the local Mexican restaurant in Blacksburg. This friend recalls that dad was “such a great guy”. He had met dad once and dad had made such a positive impression on him. That is just who my dad was: a great man who strived to enrich the lives of those around him, whether it was his family members he has known for many years, or my college roommate he had just met. Dad was also funny. He was telling Dad Jokes before Dad Jokes were called Dad Jokes. Sometimes his jokes would get a loud laugh from me, sometime just an eye roll. But whatever the case, he wanted to make people laugh. But more than that, dad wanted people to see the potential they had to achieve great things and then go out and take the steps necessary to achieve them.
Dad had a big heart, filled with love, compassion generosity and kindness. Ultimately it was his heart that failed him on January 14th. In the days and weeks after dad’s passing, I have experienced a multitude of emotions: depression, anger and sadness. Sadness that dad is gone, for sure. But also, sadness that he never got to enjoy his retirement, never got to move out to Virginia with mom, build their house, and enjoy spending his days watch his grandsons Bryson and Colton grow up, do karate, play basketball and soccer and graduate high school. But when I came out to Colorado just after dad’s death, I was greeted by the love of extended family members who were there to support Christie and I with our grief while coming to grips with their own. I am forever blessed with the knowledge that whenever I come to Colorado, I have plenty of family members who love my wife, my kids and I immensely! In the past few weeks, I have cried less, and come to the realization that dad would want me to live my best life, to continue to be the great husband, father, son, friend and counselor I have been. I know dad would not want me, or anyone else, sitting around being miserable that he is gone. He would want all of us to live our lives to the fullest, figure out what our dreams are and go out and achieve them!
Lastly, my dad valued education. He was inspired by the books of Science-Fiction author Isaac Asimov to pursue his Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, and later his Master’s in Business Administration. This led to him having jobs that afforded him the opportunity to travel to such amazing cities as Stockholm, Paris, Johannesburg and Huntsville, Alabama. Dad passed on his passion for education to Christie and I, and I have been trying to figure out how to make dad’s legacy of education live on in his absence. To that end, it is my hope and desire to create a Memorial Scholarship fund in dad’s name to help students in my community pursue higher education in the STEAM subjects. I can find no better way to honor dad’s legacy than to help alleviate some of the financial burden of college tuition for some young man or woman who wants to pursue a degree in science, technology, engineering, art or math. Read less