[todeen]

My father passed away today from pneumonia after battling pulmonary fibrosis for 11 years. He did not collect cards or even talk very much about baseball. Like many Boomers, his boyhood cards ended up in his bicycle spokes because they sounded cool, and then grandma threw them away or a cousin swiped them while he was in the military. He was ROTC with the US Army and specialized in communications and chemical weapons. He served in Korea on the DMZ during the Vietnam era. He graduated as an art major, and he gifted me a piece of baseball artwork many years ago. Anyway, he is every bit entangled with my love of baseball as any other factor. He volunteered as assistants on my youth baseball teams where I learned life lessons and made great friends. He would throw the ball with me after school on days he wasn't on the road as a salesman. He took me to MiLB games to see the Billings Mustangs which eventually made me a Reds fan. When we moved to Spokane he had the opportunity through work to take me to occasional Seattle Mariners game in the late 90s. I saw Griffey, ARod, Johnson, and Martinez during the greatest years in Mariners history. He took me to autograph signings in Spokane to see Don Larsen, Gaylord Perry, Harmon Killebrew, Maury Wills, and Steve Garvey. And the paramount event was when he took me to the 2001 All Star Fanfest - the closest thing to a National that I've ever been to. I saved up my Christmas money, birthday money, and allowance. I bought a dozen baseballs for autographs, and went with absolutely no plan of what cards to buy. One of the best pulls of my pack buying days occurred there when I pulled a Jackie Robinson GU card. My dad was one of the best that the Baby Boomer generation had to offer. He provided for his family, came home every night to dinner, and taught his kids moral choices. He is missed by everyone who knew him, but leaves a legacy of love and kindness. God bless you, Dad.



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