Happy Birthday Daddy...

...Had my Father lived, he would be 93 tomorrow..May 22, 1915

He passed away peacefully May 19, 1987 after a short coma following surgery. He was 72 years old. He never regained "conciousness".....


...or so they said. I knew differently. I know he knew all four of his children were with him. And I know he knew Mother, who was in the same hospital at the time, came down in her wheelchair to say good-bye to the man who was her husband for almost 50 years.

This I know for sure.

And I will always remember walking into his room to find the nurse, a young man, gently combing his white hair. He had turned on some game show on television. Said he thought "Mr. Sullivan would like to hear the show..." He fluffed Daddy's pillows and left us alone.

Daddy was a handsome man. The youngest of 13... He was prematurely gray - in his late teens - so he always looked distinguished. At least to me..

He had a temper...He had a sense of humor. He was a clown - always dancing and whistling and doing a little "jig".... He was stern...He was kind.

He loved animals. He loved his grandchildren. He loved all of us...

There are many things I am grateful for..one is that he met, respected and loved Mr. B.

After my disastrous first marriage, Daddy felt he could finally "let go" because I had someone strong and loving in my life. And he knew that Mr. B was the love I had always dreamed about..

And he was alive to see me become a grandmother - and he became a GREAT-grandfather. Brian James, my first grandson was born just 2 months prior to his death. My Dad was the first call my daughter made after Brian's delivery..and she not even in her room yet...

My father would be so proud of the man Brian has become. And there are other great-grandchildren that came later - and I know he's equally proud of all of them.

So, Daddy Happy Birthday to you.. I will always miss you...

"some people's light shines so brightly that even when they're gone, the light cannot be extinguished"

-me