My dad was killed in a motorcycle accident 07/29

[yanktar]

So sorry for you loss of your dad. You never quite get over it, but you learn to live with it, and, after a while, you'll pay more attention to the good memories than the sad ones.

 

[Ndv21]

I am truly sorry for your loss. I'll say an extra prayer for you and your family tonight.

 

[stose85]

Update: Life is starting to get back to normal around the house. My brother and I finished up separating all of my dad's personal property and selling the house, which was sad in its own right, but relieved a lot of stress on us both. I've been putting in hundreds of hours of sweat equity into our new home, that we were in the process of buying when dad was killed, which is why I've been absent on the board for a while. I was always told growing up that I was mature beyond my years, but I can honestly say that this experience forced me to grow in new and sometimes uncomfortable ways. I had the original expectation that dad would be there with me to fix ceiling fans, outlets, and install the new fixtures in our house, but it was something that I did on my own. I built my first workshop, benches, and tool organization in the garage that know would have made him smile. He was for the most part a very organized person that instilled the fact of time savings by actually being able to find the tools you need at any given moment.

Trying to find positives through all of this has been difficult, but an unintended consequence was that my wife and I are now completely debt free. We have a paid for house and a very positive net worth. My wife and I started the "Dave Ramsey" plan 3 1/2 years before dad was killed and we were just months away from paying off over $50,000 in consumer debt. When dad died he was debt free. Through the sale of his house, we were able to pay off our own. I rolled over his retirement account and have a gift that will continue to grow until my retirement. Dad's hard work blessed my family for generations to come. I would have never been in the position to properly use this blessing if we weren't already on track to becoming debt free. We moved our plan ahead by 7 years and were able to save thousands of dollars worth of interest by paying off our modest mortgage.

Through all of this I was offered a working position outside of law enforcement in the private sector. It was a big move in benefits and pay which again will bless my family. I will have more time to focus on the things that matter and eliminate on-call time altogether. I enjoyed my time in leadership, but I'm ready to take a break from the stress of everything.

I finished my dad's memorial video from his last ride with us on August 4th, 2017. We rode from Independence Kansas to Cherryvale Kansas where we met up with the majority of the Combat Veterans Association Riders and arrived at the funeral home to pick up dad's remains. We then rode to Liberty Kansas where we had the service. There's a pretty cool tribute to him at the end of the video so if you just have time to watch a portion of it, wait until the end. All the people that showed up that day gave tribute to my dad's memory, and really showed how well liked and what kind of guy he really was.

There's a longer video on my youtube channel "stose85" if you're interested in the uncut version.



I always wanted to say thank you to everyone that reached out to me on this forum with support and prayers, this is truly a great community! I'm proud to be a part of it.

 

[rogdeb]

Easy post to "like" but also "not like" for obvious reasons.

"" Dad's hard work blessed my family for generations to come."" ---- a true unintended gift.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Easy post to "like" but also "not like" for obvious reasons.
"" Dad's hard work blessed my family for generations to come."" ---- a true unintended gift.

I sort of disagree on this one. I think that the hard work of a Dad is intended as a Gift from the beginning. Dads teach us how to work hard and then they try to make sure we don't have to.

I will agree that he probably wasn't ready to deliver that gift just yet...

I am glad to hear that you and your brother are moving forward. I cannot imagine your pain from this even though I know it will come to me inevitably.

 

[El Toro]

Congratulations on the decision years ago to abandon debt, and for accomplishing this goal. I agree with Dave Ramsey ... being debt free really puts you in a great position for the future.

The loss of a parent is never completely out of mind, but when there are good memories, the nostalgia for earlier days isnt a bad thing. Best wishes as you and your family move forward.

 

[Hudson]

I was but a young kid when my dad passed, and there were like 100 or so bikers at his service. I remember looking out the back window of the funeral limo and not being able to see the end of the line. They filled the aisles of our local church which, in the early 70s was quite the experience.

Comforting to always see a long train of bikers at a service. I hope it brought your family much comfort.