My father died.  I have not mentioned my father much in my blog, but he was always there, an important part of all of my life.  He was my Daddy.  Obituary of L.M.(Jack)Maggard will tell you about him...when he was born and who preceded him in death and who survives him.  Those things are history.  My thoughts about my Dad are like me, bits of history that breathe and have a heartbeat and life.

At the age of 93, my Dad lived a long and full lifetime and I was part of that life for over 66 years.  I love my Dad, and I will always know that he loved me.  Dad married the most remarkable woman and I always got to call her Mama.  My mother was one of those people who spoiled everyone and my Dad knew it and never objected.  He instead had a hand in the spoiling, tossed in with the teaching and the obvious pride The two of them were a couple in love and there was never any doubt about it.  Daddy and Mama gave me five siblings, four brothers and a sister.  We are all grown now and each of us has given them grandchildren and some of us, great grandchildren.  At his funeral services, when I had the chance to speak, I mentioned that we should not grieve, but rather we should celebrate my Dad's life.  One of the most noticeable things about my Dad was his sense of humor.  He laughed and joked about nearly everything and could see something to laugh at everywhere.  My mother and my sister and my daughter all preceded him in death and now those three have a fourth for pinochle.  When he'd call me on the phone, my dad would say, "Hello der" and when I called him he would say, "Howdy" and for just about every other situation, be it good or bad or just a spot where he didn't know what to say, he would say "Oh Boy"  I was with him when Daddy breathed his last.  He died in his own house, in his own bed, sleeping peacefully.  Dare I mention his snoring or would that just go to show I inherited his sense of humor?