So he and Mom raised five children, and Dad did exactly what he said he would do… take a wife, raised a family, and built his family a house that they could call home. An amazing story about a simple but amazing man. I often look back over his life and remember that while he was dealt a very poor hand in life, through sheer determination and lots of sweat, he turned the cards he was dealt into a full house. In 1963 Dad began building with his own hands a home that would cost him $13,500 on an annual income of $4,768. I’ve seen the check stubs and read the invoices. It's hard to stop a man who is so focused on his goals, especially when those goals are so benevolent in their motivations. I have great memories of helping dad build that house. He always welcomed my help even though it took more time with me than it would take without. I remember, as a seven year old, helping Dad roof our home, so convinced by him that I was able to help and valuable to him as we worked side by side. Dad persuaded me that I was not “in the way” but honored me with his desire to be near me, and I was gifted with his joy of simply being in his presence in day-to-day life. The lessons learned from watching my dad in my formative years impact me still today. Like Dad, I know the vast importance of owning a home and the root system of stability it provides to a family. I know what hard work looks like, and what it takes to offer the kind of service I can be proud of. Like my dad, I love the smell of new construction and watching a home being assembled piece by piece. The knowledge I acquired through my dad continues to live on after he has passed. His values are indelibly inked upon my mind, that my family is worth living for, and loving my wife and children is the greatest honor a man can receive.
Through the years, I’ve come face to face with the pain of those
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