Father's Day, Sweet Memories & some tears

We have Father's Day this coming Sunday and I got to thinking while I was doing the dishes this morning.

John & I both have lost our Dads (& my Mum too). My Dad, Frederick (Fred) passed away almost 17 years ago, aged 89. He was in his mid forties when I was born, I was the last of eleven children. He was born in 1901. As you can imagine, he had a very tough life, coming from a not very well off family. His Mother was in a Mental Institution from the time he was 2 yrs old, Dad didn't even know she was alive until she passed away when he was 15. What can possess people to keep things like that a secret from children. He & his brother Gordon were mostly raised by his Maiden Aunt, Ida who, by all accounts, was an unloving woman & a strict disciplinarian. His father, it seems, couldn't cope with raising the 2 boys. He did have a couple of sisters, who he completely lost touch with.

He married my Mum, Minnie, when he was 18 & she was 17 and they raised all those children, through the Depression years when there was no work and Dad did all sorts of jobs, even chocolate making, to feed everyone. After the 2nd World War, he learnt a trade, Blacksmithing, which then became Welding and when he retired from the work force, he was one of the best in the business. He also had a wonderful singing voice, won many talent quests and I often think, if times had been different, what he could have been.

He was at times a hard father, but I always knew he loved us. I helped him through some tough times after Mum died 27 yrs ago, they had been married almost 60 yrs. He lost 2 children (& I lost a brother & a sister) during those 10 years. He carried me though some tough times after my divorce and thankfully, was around to see John & I marry 5 yrs later. This pic is of both our Dads at our wedding reception/party in my neighbours back yard, my Dad is on the left.

John's Dad, Edwin (Ed) passed away nearly 4 yrs ago, aged 86. He was a country boy from Victoria, he also lost his Mum early on and the family was scattered about. He came from a large family and fortunately, they managed to all keep in touch with each other over the years.
He was a train driver for most of his life and a heavy smoker for a lot of it and this resulted in him developing Emphysema, which eventually put a strain on his heart.
He & my Mum-in-Law lived in Queensland, and fortunately John had gone to visit them, because his Dad had been ill. His Dad had a massive heart atack that weekend & passed away in John's arms.
They were both wonderful, hard working men and loving husbands & fathers, grandfathers & great-grandfathers & we miss them very much.

RIP - Safe in God's arms. Happy Father's Day Dads, we love you.

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