Eulogy

My Hero

(Eulogy for Dad)

09/19/1922 - 01/29/2010 

Everyone has a hero. They are the courageous, the brave, and the rocks that hold us up. My father was my hero; he was my own personal superman.

It’s surreal to me that I’d be standing here today to deliver this message of love and respect. Heroes don’t die... they’re not supposed to. My father was invincible, resilient, and forever the pillar of hope and stability. I remember as a kid admiring his strength (and his tennis game) and I knew that when I grew up, I wanted to be just like him… what little boy doesn’t want to be just like his dad? And when I DO grow up, I still want to be just like him.

More than anything, dad taught me compassion and patience… the greatest gifts a father can give to a child. Though his compassion was occasionally masked in dry sarcasm, to be in the presence of his love was to be completely and totally embraced.

I cannot begin to explain my father’s complex humor except to say that should you find a boat on your front lawn, poles sticking out of your chimney, a rusty motor in your car, or a pair of mannequin legs on your porch – you know you’d been hit by the best… you have been “WYNNED”.

I’d like to share with you a profound moment between my father and I. I gave a benefit concert in this very room 14 years ago. After the concert, while greeting people, Dad pulled me aside took me in his arms and through tears in his eyes he whispered, “you have no idea how proud I am of you. I will never forget this.”  A seemingly small gesture, but a huge impact on me and it changed my relationship with him forever.

Dad and I shared a very special bond. Any given month would not be complete without a call from dad to hold our monthly Technology Troubleshooting session – popup resolution, usually-- and up to the end, he kept up with email, processed photographs, and yes, he could even be found on facebook. His love of the unknown shined in his love of technology. We also shared a special bond regarding Rogane, but I’ll spare you that story.

We all grew up being addressed by dad with a combination of names. Joan was “ConTonJoan”, Connie was “JoanTonCon”, and I was “JoanConTon”. And when our cats pippin and tigger came on board, I became: “JoanConPipTigTon”… you get the idea…It was a term of endearment and was never thought of as anything else but that.

Heroes cast a net of safety, of security, so the people of Metropolis can sleep at night knowing they are protected. That was the protection that dad provided for all of us. We could put our heads down at night feeling secure, and loved, and knew that in the morning, “Mr. Perfect” would be there to usher in the day with his famous grin and unending wit, and we NEVER questioned HIS perfection.

I mentioned patience earlier. There is no truer word that could be used to describe this man, and I’m living proof of it. I’m the poster child for trying his patience and despite whatever predicament I got myself into, he always assured and calmed me and ALWAYS stood by me. That was his nature and he would do the same for anyone whether they needed his attention or not.

The past few days have given me a tremendous amount of respect for the most important thing in dad’s life.. family & friends. The number of people that dad’s life has touch is beyond awe inspiring. And it occurred to me, that Dad is not MY personal hero, this hero belongs to all of us. His superpowers impacted all of us in so many different ways. But in the end, his heart was too large or too full.

Dad, you’ll be terribly missed, but you’ll always be loved and forever in my heart and soul. Thank you for being my hero! Thank you for being OUR hero.