What I said at my Daddy's memorial

"My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it."
~Clarence B. Kelland -1881 - 1964


My Daddy told me a lot of things, and most of them I forget. He told me not to fall in love with the wrong sorts of boys, but I did and got hurt anyways. He said, “Don’t do that or you’ll make your computer crash.” I crashed it anyways. He wrote a song about my sisters and I called, “Daddy of 3.” I remember most of the words to that. Other than that, “Pull my finger,” comes to mind.

But most of what I learned from my Daddy, I learned not from what he told me, but from watching him.

My Daddy taught me you’ve never learned all there is to know
My Daddy taught me how to find funny, when funny needed to be found
My Daddy taught me to be grateful and generous
My Daddy taught me about making big mistakes, and starting over
My Daddy taught me to take chances, and to take second chances
My Daddy taught me how to forgive, and how to be forgiven
My Daddy taught me to be humble and how to be magnanimous
My Daddy taught me the meaning of faith and acceptance
My Daddy taught me how to give and receive unconditional love
My Daddy taught me how to be proud of myself; and I am proud of him

So most of what I learned from my Daddy, I learned not from listening to what he said, but from watching him be a father, a grandfather, a husband, a son, an uncle, a brother, a friend, and a man. The only thing he ever said to me that I really remember that matters, is, “I love you.”

I love you too, Daddy. Pull my finger.

Kenneth Robert Schock
December 8, 1940 – August 3rd, 2006