My Father, Born 100 Years Ago Today
My father would have turned 100 years old today had he not passed away in 2014. He lived a long and good life with hardships I didn’t have to face — extreme poverty in the Great Depression, surviving numerous brutal battles in the South Pacific in WWII, etc. Us kids were lucky to have him as our father. Gentle, kind, funny — his hand always extended to those in need. I wouldn’t be who I am without him. He was grateful for his union (the UAW), he loved the Kennedys and Roosevelts, Tony Bennett and Springsteen, Francis of Assisi and “Amadeus.” He hated war and had hoped to live long enough to see a woman in the White House. You all woulda loved him. I miss him every day but deeply believe that he has never really left. As with all of us, how we live our lives, and the people whom we affect, is how we live on. Francis R. Moore lives on. Happy Birthday Dad!
A great tribute to your Dad, who obviously had a great deal to do with how you turned out. At 91 yrs. of age, I share his hope of seeing a woman president before I croak.
I love the clip of you asking your Dad on the phone if he you could leave you a ball team or an oil company! His tone is priceless!
I lost my father in 2009. He also grew up dirt poor in the Depression but did ok as an adult, served in the Navy and found a good job with the City of Winston-Salem.
Mama caught a pan on fire once, picked it up off the stove, panicked, and set in on the kitchen floor where it burned a big hole in the linoleum. Daddy went over to my Grandmother’s house and got a big scrap of her linoleum that she had left over from doing her kitchen floor. It was white but had spackles of color all through it.
He stenciled and cut out a big rooster shape of Grandmother’s linoleum, and cut the burned hole to fit, and set it in there. It was a perfect fit! We had this big rooster in our kitchen floor. It looked so cool and artistic and professional. You would have never known that it was because Mama burned a hole in the floor.
My Dad was an awesome guy. I miss him. 💔