My father passed away yesterday.

Sad. Heartbroken. Mystified. Lost. Bewildered. These are a few of the emotions I’m feeling at the moment.

It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

Father. Friend. Mentor. Hero. He was all that and more to me. To us.

Anytime I needed something all I had to do was ask. All of my friends that knew him liked him. My father has always been popular with them. In some cases, he’s been a father figure. He was the type of person that would give you the shirt off his back, even if he didn’t have one.

Writing this, I am realizing the things he taught me. Speak softly, carry a big stick. He was always encouraging, but never forceful. I appreciated that. Many of my friends had parents that pushed them to do things, not for them, but because that’s what their parents wanted.
My father once told me he didn’t push me into things because he wanted me to be able to make my own decisions. Be your own person. Be responsible for your own actions. Be kind to others. Help someone in need, even when you don’t really want to. Not for any other reason then it’s the right thing to do. Never be afraid. Even if you are, you can overcome it. Stand up for yourself and others. I now see that the lessons this uneducated man. Holy shit. In essence, he was teaching me the ten commandments.

Not because it’s what he wanted, but because it was the right thing to do.

An ordinary man doing extraordinary things. Not because it’s what he wants, but because it’s what others need. That is the sign of a true hero. He always did what he needed to do.

There were many times growing up that he wasn’t always the father I wanted, but the father I needed. I am the person, no, a citizen of this world because if the values that William Thomas Cain III instilled upon me. I am the man I am today because if the love and respect that we had for each other. In hind sight, I see him as the father I wanted as well as needed. Without him, I would not be who I am today.

He was always concerned about other people. Sometimes he’d act like he didn’t care, but we all knew he did. You can’t hide a kind heart.

The last thing he said to me was, “Is your mother OK?” I said yes. He said, “Good.” Even in the end, always putting others before himself.

People say as long as he in in our hearts he will never truly be gone. That’s true, but it would be really nice if he was still here.

I appreciate all of the sacrifices he ever made to make sure we had the best. Without the sacrifices that my father made for us, we would not be the people we are today. We learn from our parents the kind of people we will be in our adult life. For me, I am forever grateful that my father was my role model. If I can be just half the man of humanity that he was, I’ll truly be in great company.

Responsibility. Honor your commitments. Work hard, but also play hard. You can do whatever you want with your life. Love your wife and family and never let them go. I will miss the late night chats that I had with him at the shore.

A couple of years ago I asked him to go fishing on the bay. He said he really didn’t like to fish. I asked why we went all of those times when I was a boy. He said, “Because you wanted to go and I wanted you to be happy.”

He was the wisest I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.

One of he things I’m proudest of in my life was that i was fortunate to have him in my life and call him My Father.

If a persons wealth is measured in the people that love them, then my father was the richest man on earth.

I have always loved him and will always miss him…