When I think about how to best describe my Father that would accurately reflect who he was in life, there are many words that come to mind ... words like love, strength, and kindness among others, but there is one word that keeps repeating itself ... in fact, there are many definitions of this word ... definitions that read: 
  
"to assist",  "to be of use", "to be worthy of reliance & trust", "to answer the needs", "to bring notice or deliver", and even one definition that reads "to perform the duties of an office or post"

And even now, as I look over at Father Welsh, I am reminded of yet another definition which states: "to assist a celebrant at mass".... This powerful, yet simple, word is "Serve".

As a servant of God, Dad was a devout catholic for 83 years, saying his daily prayers and attending weekly services faithfully until his health did not permit him to leave the house as often as he would have liked. Even at his weakest point physically, his mind was still sharp and his faith still strong. 

He served his country, heading overseas as a teenager and United States Army Cadet; coming home a proud and honorable veteran of World War II, earning numerous service awards, including a purple heart for wounds suffered in battle.

As a civil servant, he served his community as a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service, as well as a volunteer firefighter and officer of the Goodwill Fire Company just down the road in Bridgeport, where he was raised and made numerous lifelong friends; some of whom have passed, but many others are here with us today celebrating his life.

Lastly, but certainly not least he served his family. A loyal, dedicated, and loving, husband to my mother Hazel who, along with her sisters Joan and Carol are also mourning the loss of their mother & my Grandmother Josephine, who passed away on July 25. My Dad was also a caring, teaching, and nurturing father to my brother and I, as well as a devoted son to his mother Mary throughout her life, never really knowing his father who died when he was a young child.

Dad believed in working hard and doing whatever was necessary to provide for his family, which occasionally meant working two jobs; but it also meant that we were able to enjoy family vacations to Maine and regular retreats to the Jersey shore; hosting barbeques and pool parties for family and friends at our home in Norristown ... just 2 blocks from here, and that my brother and I were fortunate enough to be able to receive college educations in addition to the life lessons we learned at home to help prepare us for our own journeys.

It is difficult to think about life without my father, but I am so thankful for the time that we had together and I celebrate that he lived life to its fullest for 83 years.

If there is one thing that I would like to pass along to everyone today that I learned from my Dad, it is that life is full of moments and it is how we handle those moments that makes us who we are. What made my Dad so special to me was his ability to seize each of those moments and make them truly special.
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