Memories

Lawrence O. Dean, 1913-2000

Today I wish my Dad happy birthday – and as I do this I wonder, why in hell do we do this when someone is dead? And my answer, it helps to keep their memory alive!

Dad was born in 1913 and was on this earth until age 87, and he witnessed many changes, challenges and wonders during those years. He also witnessed seven children bringing all sorts of activities into his life, some good and some, well, let’s just say, sufficient to find him shaking his head more than once, okay?


Now, Dad was a very pragmatic type person and he firmly believed in getting your “hands” into projects. He could grow anything and we had HUGE gardens (much to my chagrin as we had to weed those suckers) but with that many mouths to feed, a good amount of food was needed. However, Dad was also a dairy farmer and he loved to walk “behind” the plow and feel the blade rip thru the soil--instead of having the plow attached to the tractor (this caused many issues, arguments and dislikes over the years because Dad also insisted on straight furrows and we were not overly inclined to drive that straight, so he yelled a lot. Plus, as this was boring, we’d be daydreaming while some rock had yanked the plow from Dad’s hand and tossed him aside as we continued on…him yelling and us not hearing – getting the picture?).


Yet Dad was my hero – he taught me how to swim, hunt, identify plants, trees, animals, etc. He loved the outdoors and a fishing trip was never just about fishing, hell no, it would also include hikes back into woods for some of the best berries known to mankind. He was “steward” of the land all his life and did all he could to insure nature’s beauty and bounty would be here for generations. He hated trash(all trash) being tossed into ditches, lakes, rivers and fields, and would literally stop whatever vehicle he was driving to pick it up and dispose of it properly. Trust me as a kid; you did not like trash in the car with you!


Oh he was not perfect, none of us are, but Dad believed in hard work and in his mind, 12-16 hours of hard labor was considered a good day’s work. Not all of us could keep up that pace but he didn’t seem to mind. He worked at the Alcoa Plant and also ran a dairy farm; he slept when he could and somehow managed to find time for his family too.

Best of all Dad was a devoted, caring, loving and thoughtful husband. He went home in 2000 and I still miss him, so Dad Happy Birthday!