Despite these humble beginnings, he was the smartest man I've ever known. He could conquer any project he started. He did with patience and precision, measure twice, cut once. He purchased his first car, a brand new Model A, with cash he had saved working at his Uncle's dairy. I still have his first "chauffer's license", which is where I got this picture. It lists his height at 6'1" and his weight at 165. He was long and lanky and his ability to run fast earned him the nickname "Spider" in school, as he was all legs when he ran. His athletic ability earned him recognition on the baseball field also. He was asked to join farm teams run by the Major leagues, but WWII came and he answered his call to duty. He joined the Navy and was sent to New Guinea for his stint in the war.
He was a father of 5, two sons and three daughters, grandfather to 18 and great grandfather to more than that. He was the type of father every child wishes for. He was 49 when I was born. His older age brought patience, kindness and love to my life. He taught us about animals, plants, trees and life. We always had a garden. He always had time for our questions and most of all, he played with us.
We could always talk him into pitching a ballgame for us, fishing with us, eating ice cream with us and he read books to us most every night before we went to bed. There were alot of nights he was away from us, working shift work at the nearby Army Depot, but we were always in his heart.
Today he would have been 95 years old. I've lost track of exactly how many years he's been gone. I'd say 15 if you made me guess, but it's not something I really like to think about. He did get to meet all of his grandchildren, some of his great grands and he was loved by them all. At his funeral, I didn't realize how many people's lives he touched by his selfless acts he performed without recognition. He was very active in his community but not like the guys you would see in the paper, on committees and doing fundraisers. He was quiet in his way of doing things whenever help was needed. Always a jokester, he loved to tease.
He expected Honesty, Hardwork and Fairness for everyone. The worse thing you could do to him is lie. He said if we told the truth he would always stand beside us, but if we lied, we would have to take our punishment alone.
Happy Birthday Dad, the world is better place because of you.
Pictures:
Top; Ned, age 2 and Owen age 4, 1915
Middle; Owen age 15 from his first "driver's license"
Bottom; Owen with 4 of his grandsons, clockwise from top, Danny, Kevin, Patrick and Kyle 1989
