He was something different for everyone, friend,
Husband, son, coach and co worker . But to me he was just DAD . My father and I had a very unique
Relationship. HE was hard on me and I remember when I was a teenager I rebelled and was a brat but
Now that I am 40 and a mother. I realize he only wanted the best for me and wanted me to be the best
person I could be. I was the Aries Ram and he was
Leo the Lion . One of The best
things my father ever did was marry Kathy , she was the Libra and balanced us and tried to always be the
peace maker. The thing is I am just like him and that is why we disagreed a lot. I got a few great
Qualities from him my curly hair and long eye lashes but the best thing I got was the love of animals. I
have never known anyone so good with animals of all kinds. He would feed cats , the squirrels in the
neighborhood would come right up to him and he would give them nuts out of his hand. Also he carried
dog treats with him on his bus to give to stray dogs or other people’s dogs. When we got our dog
Smokey and he died that was the first time I saw my Dad cry. My father loved animals and they would flock to him I grew up loving animals like him and I became a vet tech and devoted my life to animals. I know all the animals in heaven
are flocking to him . My dad was a very caring person he would give you the shirt off of his back . HE would help neighbors or
Anyone for that matter. My dad was a hard worker and would always work overtime when asked . I can say I have gotten
his work ethic in my twenties and I pride myself on that . if he wasn’t working he was always taking care of
his yard or washing and waxing his car in his shorts. HE liked to stay busy . HE loved to golf and tried to
get me to golf I was a great driver but not a good putter as I had no patience and would hit the ball so
hard . I remember my childhood I wanted a pool and he got me a pool and he would be out there everyday making sure it was
clean for me .He called me flipper because I loved swimming. He made it a point that
Kathy teach me to swim when I was 3 as he was never taught . We had great times as a family Kathy my
dad and I went on camping trips and I even went on their honeymoon with them when
I was 5 . We went to Disney world when I was 17 . When we were in Florida the superbowl was down
there and my dad drove me 2 hours to see the stadium and all the action. I saw my dad go up to a man
and say how much for tickets ., HE said 1,000 dollars. I said DAD don’t do it that is way too much . I know
he wanted to get them for me to make me happy but the fact he drove me 2 hours just to see where it
was meant more to me. . I wish I could have talked to him and told him I remembered all these things and that I loved
him for what he did for me. HE had his special way to show me he was my father , It may have not been
the way I wanted but I know he loved me. He showed his love in different ways . He always went to all
my field hockey , basketball and softball games to cheer me on .and Then when we got home he would tell
me what I could do better. I remember at my wedding and we were dancing , He said
Kristen I love you and you look beautiful. All my life I wanted his love and approval and I felt like he gave that to me that night . When I was growing up I loved sports and wanted to play softball so my dad became my coach and
made me a better player . even after I was grown he spend many many hours with girls coaching them . he loved it ,it was his passion. I know girls would be afraid at first to be on his team but after they were
on his team they fell in love with him . here are some of the quotes I read this week about my dad from
his girls. He made such a wonderful impact on all of us as young self conscious girls and forever have a special
place in our hearts
Tony gave us all a special gift , believing in ourselves . It is not every day you get to have such an
amazing person give us the courage and desire to be more. I have to say the experience of being on tony and kathys team made me have more self esteem and
confidence and made me stronger and more determined because he brought out the player in you and
made you want to be better. He developed more than just a player he built confidence and self esteem on and off the field. He had
the ability to get a kid to see in them self something they didn’t realize was there . Sure he was tough I
can’t count how many times i had to run around the field but every lap was worth it . He just didn’t
teach you how to play ball , he taught you how to respect , challenge and believe in yourself, take pride
in what you do , respect your team and your goals. HE may have been tough but so is life and if you
were blessed to be coached by him you walked away better prepared for life. Such a huge heart and
amount of love for every kid he coached. He wasn;t just our coach he was a mentor . The impact he had
on the lives of countless kids is no doubt immeasurable and priceless. HE was more than a coach to me I was never going to be a allstar player . he helped you to see and reach
your potential . He made you matter , important , and valued. For a kid like me , and so many others ,
you went from being embarrassed of how terrible you were to perplexed at the idea that he believed in
you ,excited over the time he invest in you , to be confidant , amazed and proud of what you were
capable of. He gave a kid like me a place on the team , not a spot on the bench . He was what a coach is
supposed to be and we were lucky to have him . When I read those this week it made me so proud to be his daughter knowing he had such a positive
impact on these girls lives. I never realized that until now. . I will miss my dad and . I love him more than he knows . and grateful he was my dad. The
last thing I will say about my dad is when I adopted my daughter and we brought her over to meet Kathy
and him . he laid on the floor with her and played with a ball to make her feel comfortable . He tried to
get her to eat and he just did everything he could to let her know he loved her . She was his
Granddaughter and I always knew he loved Arianna . My daughter was afraid of lots of things . But one day my dad just put her
on his ride on lawn mower and she loved it . She would say Mamma when are we going to see Grandpa. Arianna loved
him and he loved her . My father was there for me at the worst time of my life when my little girl Arianna died. He
comforted me and said he was there for me . When we were at his house this week . We found a picture of him and
Arianna in his Important paperwork he carried around. HE always carried Arianna with him even after 3 years. I love
him for that . I can just picture how happy Arianna was when she saw him in heaven and she probably
ran to him yelling Grandpa and asking to ride on a lawn mower. Now I have 2 angels in heaven and I
know my dad will take care of my daughter for me until I get there . I am comforted by that . I just want
people to know life is too short tomorrow is never promised and never wait to tell someone how you
feel . Dad I love you and will never forget you .
