Eulogy:
By Dawn Blackwell (Ted's daughter)
My dad was very strict when I was a child. It was important to him that I be a well disciplined, young lady with good manners and a solid work ethic. He liked my room neat, for me to sit up straight, look tidy and clean, and to take pride in everything I did. He always told me "to give an honest day's work for an honest day's pay." He made sure at a very young age I understood the value of a dollar, and the importance of saving your money. It is something to this day that is deeply ingrained in me. Dad was also a firm believer in getting a good education, and always made me work hard in school.
My Dad was my hero as a child. I was so proud of him for his service in Vietnam and in the police department. I remember in middle school when other kids didn't want their parents dropping them off at school, I was alway so proud when my dad would pick me up or drop me off at school. I wanted everyone to see that my dad was a police officer. I was so proud of him. I remember feeling so safe each night as I went to bed. In my mind, no one could break in and nothing could harm us because my dad was stronger, and had more authority than they did.
My dad loved to go to the movies and was a huge action movie buff. As a child I can always remember him pointing out all the errors in movies and telling me how they let the boom mic be seen, or how a car wouldn't really blow up like that in real life. Afterall, he should know, he was an accident reconstruction specialist! Dad loved being silly and making my friends laugh when they came over. He would sometimes come out with Hawaiian shorts on and his socks pulled up ridiculously high to try and make everyone giggle. The kids enjoyed dad's silly antics. He also took great joy in running the license numbers of my dates through his police computer to see if they had any tickets for speeding. I always knew dad did that because he cared, even when at times it seemed embarrassing. Dad enjoyed traveling, so we took many family vacations to Disney, Universal Studios, and Cape Canaveral, just to name a few places. He always looked forward to the next big adventure, and would work hard and save all his extra money so we could travel as often as possible.
A few fun stories:
Dad's sister, Roberta, was telling me how he would hide his green beans in his napkin as a young child, and she would tell their mother on him. Dad always hated green beans. My Aunt Bert also said she joked that he should have been born first so that dad could have brought home boys for her to meet. And I always remember a funny story that was told by my grandmother of how dad was told as a young child not to eat his potato because it was too hot, but of course he didn't listen. He took a big bite and was so startled that it was scalding hot, that he began hitting the top of his head to let his family know he was in distress. He couldn't speak because his mouth was burning so bad. We always had a good laugh about that story as a family. It is my understanding that dad was a very spirited child. I am not surprised in the least.
When I was a child we would frequent a restaurant called Applewoods. This homestyle restaurant would serve these enormous homemade rolls and apple fritters in between courses for free. They were amazing, and to say that dad was a bit obsessed with them would be an understatement. Every time the servers with baskets of rolls and apple fritters would come around, if your plate was empty, they would give you more fritters and rolls. So, my dad would tell me and my mom to take them off the plates and hide them on our laps or for mom to put them in her purse, so we could have more. It would bring him great delight to eat the ones in mom's purse before he went to bed that night after going home. He would do this each time we went to that restaurant. Dad was a lover of food. He really enjoyed getting restaurant gift cards from people.
When I was in middle school, Dad had a beloved dog named Bandit, a chocolate lab, who was his best buddy and partner in crime. Dad would share snacks and popsicles with him as they watched TV together. Dad loved that dog. He taught him to do tricks and enjoyed rolling around on the floor with him.
My dad had so many fun little phrases he used often when I was growing up. I enjoy sharing them with my kids now, and I actually use a lot of them to this day. He would say, "I only peel my cabbage once" , "Loose lips sink ships", and when he was behind someone in traffic who wouldn't take off right as the light turned green he'd say - "It won't get any greener grandma." Just to name a few fun things my dad would say.
Dad was a huge college football fan. He really enjoyed watching games on the weekends with neighbors. His favorite team, even after he moved south, was the Oklahoma Sooners. He enjoyed keeping up with them.
The last few weeks of his life my dad and I became closer than we'd ever been. As tough as it was to see him so sick, it was such a special time where we really bonded. We had long talks about God and life each day. My dad accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior a few short weeks before he passed away. And even though I know what he was going through in the hospital was the scariest thing he'd ever experienced - I know this because he told me it was scarier than Vietnam or anything he'd been through - he handled it so well and with such dignity. He would pray daily and tell me he was drawing close to God during this tough time. Each night he would ask me to pray with him and he would say the same thing every night after we closed in prayer, he'd literally almost shout - 'In Jesus' Name". He would even text that phrase to me sometimes. I have so many memories with my dad, but those last handful of weeks will forever be the dearest weeks I ever had with him. We left nothing unsaid. I asked my dad what he would like me to remember about him - and these are some of his final words to me:
"Remember that I was a loving father."
"Tell my friends and family about Jesus"
"I am at perfect peace."
"I have no regrets."
"I love you."
Thank you for being my dad. Thank you for being a godly example to me and the family in your last days. I am looking forward to our reunion someday in heaven. I will keep your memory alive. This is not goodbye, dad, as I told you that last day - but until we see each other again.
I love you, Dawn ❤️
Share with others
