ELIZABETH'S STORY in her own words

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I am my dad's first born child. In fact I was born on my dad's birthday. I feel like I had a strong bond with my dad, but he had a strong bond with all three of us.  The picture I am holding of my dad was a picture that I took on February 7, 2015.  My dad, my husband Greg and  myself had flown to his hometown of Houston, Texas for a family wedding.  My dad was a very proud Houstonian and the second that we stepped out of the terminal onto the curb, out came his University Of Houston hat. He graduated from the University of Houston  with a degree in Physics and a Special Assignment Certificate from the Cullen College of Engineering.  I told my dad on several occasions that was the best 3 days of my life. I enjoyed my time with my dad immensely. we drove by his childhood home, my childhood home, his first job  and visited with family members.  I never dreamed that would be our last time.  

 

There was never a time in my life that I needed my dad and he wasn't there. And even as the years passed, his fatherly dedication did not waver.  If a car broke down, a sick pet or simply needing directions, he was there. He was the voice of calm and positivity in any situation.  And my need for my dad never faded.  Whenever I would go see my dad or call him he acted like it was Christmas morning. That has left a hole in my heart that can never be filled. My dad took very good care of his health. He would say that he needed to stay around for us. we needed him and he needed us. But he was taken from us and we were taken from him.  The night of November 15, 2015 I needed my dad more than ever.  

 

My dad worked was an engineer for NASA and Kodak and ran a successful security company for 40 years. Even though my dad accomplished so many things in his life, he was humble about those accomplishments.  In his eyes his greatest accomplishments were  his children. In every room, every shelf, every drawer, my dad had kept pictures of his three daughters. 

 

The loss of my dad so senselessly is immeasurable and cannot be expressed in a million lifetimes.  Watching him suffer and fight so hard for his life haunts me to this day. The loss of his presence in my life has been devastating.  No longer do I have my best friend, my rock my number one fan.  People often said throughout my life that I am just like my dad.  But it was never as apparent to me until he was gone. We shared so many of the same enjoyments in life and it is a partnership that I miss dreadfully.  To many people I might be "older", but inside I am still a little girl that wants her daddy.