Kristin's Memorial Speech

March 22, 2010 - Kristin's Memorial Speech:

My Dad was the greatest guy ever. He was born in a very small town in eastern North Carolina to two fairly influential parents so was subsequently adored and spoiled rotten. So much so that his Uncle Bryant continually referred to him as "Little Lord Jesus." At 18 he went off to Duke University where his father and his father and his father had attended. He became a die-hard Blue Devil fan, which my 2 UNC graduate sisters paid dearly for. He went on to complete 30 years of service in city management and along the way became the father of three little daughters. During this experience of fatherhood he spent 3 long years as a single parent to these daughters during their teenage years. Because his first daughter Lisa was so well-behaved, I think he felt that raising teenage girls wouldn't be that difficult. However, Daughtry & I soon shook him out of that notion and gave him his first grey hairs. He sent us all to college - not batting an eye when I ended up on the five year - and then on to graduate school. When we left home for our college days, he began the tradition of the "Saturday morning phone call." He would call each of us every Saturday morning to check on us and to see how our weeks had been. This Saturday morning tradition continued until present day.


My Dad's feathers were hard to ruffle. Throughout our years of youthful digressions, some of our acquaintances (mainly mine) could have easily been considered persons of questionable standards, or less than stellar human beings. But he accepted them all with open arms and was able to see the good in each. 

Many times during my 42 years I found it difficult to understand and accept life's intricacies, and came to him for guidance. He always took my hand and had a calming explanation of how the world works and what could and could not be done about it. He was a lover of life. He embraced every opportunity to experience it and participate. So much so that it exhausted me to try and up with his and Virginia's schedule. 

He loved his work. After retiring from city government, he spend a short period of time working in the private sector. he soon realized that to be his true self, he needed to work for the betterment of society. His unending desire to improve this world led him back to public service and he found a place for that in CATS. He had an uncanny ability to convince people that he knew everything. This undoubtedly helped him in his quest to squeeze money out of the NC legislature for CATS.


He loved his friends - old ones and new ones. He never met a person he could not find something positive about. But most of all he loved his family - Franki and Fagie, Jane Grey, Strawbridge, Carlisle Brown & Gene Kendall.  He loved his sweet little grandsons who would wake him up at down to go down to the basement and run the electric train set. And he loved us.


As I stand before you today, I must admit that I have had a very difficult time realizing he is gone. I cry because my heart is broken. I cry because I am angry that such a good man was taken from us before his time. i cry because he will never see what fine young men his grandsons will grow up to be. But most of all I cry because I am thankful. Because you see, of all the Dads in the world, he was given to me. And for that gift I thank every star in the heavens. Thank you all for coming, and for being such a big part of Dad's life.