Today is the 20th anniversary of my Dad’s death in 1991. He married for the first time at 42 and was privileged to hit the 50 year mark with Mom, shortly before he died. Although he didn’t have even one health issue at the ripe old age of 92, a fall that splintered his pelvis into 13 pieces proved fatal. Although a young person could have tolerated traction for so long, immobilizing an elderly man worked against his survival.
Dad was born in 1899, a fact we children flaunted on school playgrounds. Mom used to say he was a contemporary of D.L.Moody who died 3 months after Dad was born. As a kid I used to reason that older was wiser, so Dad must have been the wisest father around.
The first child of parents who’d immigrated to America as teens, Dad spoke only Swedish when he walked into 1st grade at age 6. But he was quiet and observant, quickly learning English and other American ways, like how to avoid the knuckle-smack of an angry public school teacher.
He lost a little brother to pneumonia when he was 12, and his mother to TB at 13. After helping raise two younger siblings then training with the Army during World War I, he rode a streetcar to Northwestern University and emerged with two degrees. He navigated the Great Depression as a 30-something, and worked tirelessly to preserve his dying father’s real estate business.
My sister, brother and I loved hearing stories about the early 20th century, viewing him as a walking, talking history book. As a kid he chased after horse-drawn ice wagons hoping for loose chips on a hot day, and watched donkeys drag wagons of dirt out of hand-dug tunnels, Chicago’s eventual subway system. The city was paved with mud, election results were announced with fireworks, and all of it fascinated us.
Dad was honest to a fault. If a letter arrived with the stamp uncanceled, he’d say, “You can’t reuse that stamp, you know. It did what it was bought to do, and using it again would be robbing the postal service.” Letters only cost two cents then, but his statement was more about integrity than money.
Despite a bumpy background, Dad never experienced self-pity or bemoaned his losses, accepting life as it was. Although he wasn’t demonstrative and rarely shared his emotions, we all knew he loved us and would do anything in his power to help us. We also knew he gave 50% of his income to God’s work at the peak of his business career, which spoke volumes about his faith priorities.
My siblings and I were given a gift in Dad, but also a responsibility. Scripture says, “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” (Luke 12:48)
And then there was Dad, who had much taken, but gave more than he’d been given anyway.
“Those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2)
Thank you for sharing this! Your account of your father resonated with me because my grandmother was born in the same year as your father. (However, she died at age 79.) What a great, noble yet humble man your father was!
He was a fine and very wise man, I’m so happy to have met him and actually spoken Swedish with him back in -79 🙂
I remember your dad very well. He was a wise and caring man. I remember hearing similar stories from my Aunt who died at the age of 96. What wondersfrul memories they leave with us and our children
My Dad was born in 1903. He had so many similar traits, like your Papa. I remember your Daddy, very well. I think both men were, as they used to say in the ‘old days’, a Gentleman’s Gentleman.
Something else we have in common besides our love for the Lord. My dad was born in 1899 and was in the army during the first World War. He lost his mother at the age of 13. I wish I could have had him in my life as long as you had your dad. He was 43 when my twin brother and I were born and died at age of 78. He, also, rarely showed his emotions, but we knew he loved us dearly. Thanks for sharing.
So loved this, Margaret….thanks for sharing it. Isn’t it interesting how much Skylar favors your dad as a child? Look at the eyes, forehead area…..and as a man, Micah has the eyes. What a blessed family history to pass on to your children/grands, etc.
Great post! I wish I had met this great person!!! I’ve only heard good things about this man… love to hear stories from the early 20th century..
I knew your dad during Moody Church days. It’s wonderful to learn about his background and earlier life. What a great testimony and legacy he left.
I loved listening to your Dad’s explanations. He knew so much about so many things – I was amazed.
My Dad would have been 90 today (11/18/2011). He told me often in the last few years that he was “aiming for 100”. He didn’t make it, but he had a smile and a kind word up to the end. I also feel very blessed that he was my Father.
What a beautiful testimony! So enjoyed this post. My Dad died last year at the age of 89.I was so blessed to have had him for my father. He had a lot of the same attributes of your Dad. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Margaret. One of the most repeated prophetic words throughout scripture is REMEMBER. The promise is if we do or if we would, our lives will or would be blessedly different.
From the Song of Moses, Carl certainly was that father. Deut. 32:7 Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.
Thanks for sharing. This is so important to remember each day. We who have been so blessed must bless others because it is a responsibility and we do it in obedience to our Lord and Savior who gave his utmost – His Life ! I love you from afar down here in Texas. May the Holiday season be the best for you and your family! You are a treasure to my life!!! Thanks for blessing my life each day!