My father had many qualities. He was a caring Dad and husband his whole life. He would give anything for his kids and his wife and even strangers. He helped his family, including relatives, by giving them money. Many times he paid other people’s bills. (He never forgot, though, who owed him money.) He always brought me food because he knew that I don’t cook. He gave generously of his time by giving rides to my grandmother to the supermarket. He was always there. When I had big problems with my husband, my father was there to protect me. He provided advice and support to us all. As a result, we learned how be independent. All these things reflected the way he was raised: to be responsible, to be aware of others, to be sensitive to their needs. He was also a very hard worker. He usually worked from four in the morning until four or five in the afternoon. He worked with hot iron at Standard Foundry in Worcester for at least twenty years. On his weekends “off” he drove a yellow cab. He would sneak out of the house early so that no one really knew how much time he was working, and get home between four and five (just so that my mother wouldn’t box his ears off). It’s a sad thing that his life was cut short at the age of seventy-eight but these were the qualities that made him the man he was.

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