Folks Of Interest What did your father do?

In honor of Fathers Day, tell us what your father did, how he influenced you, etc.

 

Dad was a toolmaker for AC. Worked his butt off for 39 years to provide for us. I think of him every time one of the kids at work don’t k ow a thread pitch...he died Aug 2017. I miss him bad.

 

Worked in service stations and garages to put himself thru accounting school. Was an accountant the rest of his life. Taught us the value of hard work, good character, honesty, and financial conservancy. He was not a fan of my hot rod bug but his training put me in a position to be able to build a few. Lived 94 years and is missed.

 

My father was a master carpenter. Just like his entire known blood line. Everything from pouring the foundation to the last shingle on the roof and everything in between.

I rebelled, told them "I hate concrete in my boots & sawdust down my back" went into cars.

He wasn't a good influence in any way other than he didn't touch drugs or alcohol. In fact if he taught me anything I learned to do the opposite of him.

I hope my kids look back on me in pride someday.

 

My Dad is a retired Union Carpenter. He taught my brother and I the value of hard work, and actually how to work. One of the most important things he taught me was Craftsmanship, take pride in what you do. He’s my best friend and I look forward to spending time with him every day.


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My Dad was a plumber, then studied and received a license in every trade. Worked his way up the ladder at a major company into upper management without even a high school diploma.
He died too young at 64 after being misdiagnosed with colon cancer. My career path was similar in that I became certified welder after serving a five year apprenticeship for five years. Then working my way up to a manageable position in a large company. I did have a high school diploma.


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Farmer, soldier, sheep feeder, hot rods, drag racer, welder, mechanic, Realtor.....big influence, and loving husband

 

Born in 1912, married Mom in 1937 while the country was still in the Depression, probably didn’t have two nickels to rub together. Worked office jobs and kept his nose to the grindstone (a trait I picked up from him, thanks Dad) and was often picked for advancement. Saved money, finally in 1954 he had enough to have a home built, paid it off in 10 years. Another trait I got from him.
He never owned an automobile, it was always one bus ride to work, that was by design, no car ???, hell no- save that money.
When I was eight he realized I loved to read and I had discovered hot rods. He was a saver but there was always enough for a car magazine or a model car.
My first car came in late 1968, a ‘67 Nova, Butternut Yellow, black bench, built 283, 4 speed and 4.56 gears. That thrifty side came out again, he said I had to have cash money or no car for me. What did he do next? He had a two car garage built so his son could indulge in his hobby.
Naturally there’s more to the story but I will stop now. Dad was short of stature but a giant of a man in my eyes.

 

Left.

But, my Grandfather was awesome , he passed away when I was 17 though.

 

My father graduated high school in 1951. He was a mechanic at Buick dealership from 51-52. Served in the Marine Corps and was trained as an aircraft mechanic during Korea from 52-55. Worked as an aircraft mechanic at Delta airlines from 55-64. However he always wanted to be a pilot. During that period any time off from work he studied and trained to get all his pilot ratings which he was able to achieve after nine years. Delta would not hire him as a pilot (no college they said). He quit and in 1965 was hired by Eastern airlines as a flight engineer, finally realizing his lifelong dream of becoming a airline pilot. In 79 he made Captain and he retired from commercial flying in 92.

The most important thing my father taught me is that if you are willing to put in the work, almost anything is achievable. He shared his love of life, family, friends, faith, farming, cars, airplanes, hunting and fishing with me. I always enjoyed the time I spent with my Dad.

He passed away March 2019 after a 13 year battle with cancer. I miss him more than words can say.

 

Dad was born in 1922 so he grew up in hard times. He said when he was a kid he done any thing he could to make a nickel. His last year of HS in 1940 got a contract with a big coal company to haul coal so he went out on a limb and bought a new Chevy convertible and a new Chevy dump truck. His brother ran the truck in the day time and dad run it all night. He said that was the only time he had to borrow money to buy a vehicle and he had them both paid off in two years. He went in the Army Air Force in early 1942 and when he got home in 46 he got on at the post office. He retired in 1978 and then took a job driving dump trucks and semis until his death in 1978. The most valuable thing my brother and I learned from Dad was if you want or need some thing all you have to do is work your ass off, save your money and get it, no one owes you any thing and make it your business to live within your means.

 

He wasn't my father, he was a Kamloops indian, and I met him when I was three. He was uneducated and self made, owned three portable sawmills, the kind they used to haul through the bush behind a cat. I rode those cats with him, became a heavy equipment operator, he died at 53, I was 28, I was devastated, biggest loss in my life even today, he taught me everything I know today, from hard work to fixing shit. He would steal my cars and him and my mom would joyride for a couple hours, then one time he stole my harley and dumped it in the alley, all I could do was laugh, he was my hero. My father? Biggest waste of skin ever known, at 28 I told him next time I saw him I'd kill him, never saw him again, nobody told me he died till a year and a half after his death, cause I promised to stick pins in him to make sure he was dead.
On reading this, I decided to edit this, so's it don't look like I'm filled with hate. My father unknowingly taught me to be what he wasn't, I'm also a stepfather, no kids of my own, but a dad to two kids for 40 years, and I'm all the things my stepdad was, and more, two very successful adults have resulted, and I couldn't be more proud. Happy fathers day all you cool dads.

 

Anthropologist, taught us to respect all peoples and cultures, and most importantly to speak the truth.

 

My dad was a student at the University of South Carolina when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, we enlisted in the Army Air Corp on December 8, 1941.

He was a gunner on B-17's and later on the B-29's, on a training mission the Fortresses that he was on exploded just a few miles from base.

No one but the Good Lord knows how my dad survived the crash..

Dad was a humble man and in my eyes he was 10 foot tall. a good man and a hard worker, he installed & maintained bottle gas in tobacco barns in the lower part of the State, later he operated a ESSO gas appliance store in Conway. South Carolina then moved to Anderson and opened a retail paint store that he worked at until he died.

Dad lived exactly 4 months after mom passed away, the doctors said he died of lung cancer, I know better, my dad died of a broken heart.

Dad passed away in 1999 and I miss him and his wisdom to this day.HRP

 

My Dad could make anything out of wood! Built homes,boats ,an in WW2 worked on top secret Bell XP77.
So yes he showed me how to work wood.
He hated to get his hands dirty,so didn't help much on cars.
But always said" Find out as much as you can first,do it right or don't waste your time." He found someone too ask,if he didn't have info.
He did let me keep old car and parts in the weeds out back,an that was a big help to my own love of cars.
Could of said no,none of that junk around my house** Grandad on my Mom's side was a super mechanic.
So Dad tried too give good advice,but not get hands dirty. I liked the advice sometimes. Thanks Dad.

 

Played football in college, all American, worked his way through as a fire fighter after graduation he enlisted in the US Army during WW II and stayed there for 30 years.

 

My dad on the far left suiting up the then Mayor of Dallas - Mayor Cabell for a flight as he - the Mayor - was still in the reserves - like my father. My dad wasn't much of an influence as his motto was always - you bought it you fix it or pay someone to do it ! He would stress - after my mothers death much later - she should have the credit for us kids. But on the other hand - if you had to bail out of a plane - you damn sure would have wanted my dad as the packer of that chute !! One guy was thankful as his touch and go flamed out - and he ejected a little under the requirement - dad made the paper with that one !

 

My Dad took care of his family. This is why I called him "Father".

 

He was an electrical engineer. He let us kids take things apart. I think that was a big help.

 

my dad was born 1912.was the black sheep of family and left home young to work on farms
later was a semi trailer driver, during War he carted Mustang planes from wharf to airfields,never went
to war due to job ,then had his own business delivering ice (before refrigeration) then went back
to semi driving and retired at 65,died at 79 heart failure
Miss him and Mum

 

My dad worked as a loom fixer at Dover mill (textile). Went to night school to learn plumbing,then electrical, and some carpentry. Then him and his three young teenage sons (me the middle one)built his house . When he was in his sixties he went back to school and got his high school diploma.
Bought a 56 Chevy 210 sedan in 58,drove it till 68 then bought a 65 old's f85 drove that 74 then bought Cadillacs
Also had a57 Chevy pickup ,camped all over the north Carolina mountains in that truck. Rebuilt that straight 6 twice that I remember. Then in 75 put a old's 330 v8 in it ,still there.
Sent my older brother to Nashville auto diesel school , he is a garage owener ,does good.Younger brother went in to electronics does all right.
I from my dad the love of making /fixing things from photography to cars ,welding (oh yeah he could weld) . I went in to the movie biz (behind camera, hahaha) .worked on tv commercials traveled all over . dad was sorry he could not send me to collage but proud that I went the way I did .
He worked hard ,taught us and other kids on the mill hill many things.
He has been gone 8 years .
Wish heaven had a phone I sure need to ask him some things.

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Dad born 1920, his dad died when he was about 4, raised by his mom, ran wild in the mountains of Utah when young, talked of catching fish during the depression and going house to house selling them for a soda and a movie ticket His mom would walk him to grade school to make sure he went, would go wait by the back door of the school to catch him cutting out. Survived polio in high school, volunteered for WW2, spent time in New Guinea, Philippines, and was with some of the first troups into Japan in Aug of 1945. After the war managed a small airport, owned a Texaco gas station in SL City Ut for a few yrs, then got the opportunity to buy a farm. “All i ever wanted to be is a cowboy” he got his wish. I remember the gas station but grew up on the farm, learned humility, hard work pays off, and never quit. He passed at 86 In 2006, miss him a lot.

 

My Dad owned a dance hall, and had his own orchestra when I was born (early 50s). He wasn't too happy with the amplifiers available for the dance band so he studied and became an electronics technician and developed and built a line of guitar and PA amplifiers. He did that for years after he moved on from the dance hall. He taught me a lot about electronics and I use those skills most every day. He also taught me how to think logically and solve problems; both good skills to have. He really didn't have any real fondness for cars, they were just a necessary piece of equipment to him, but he fully supported my brothers and my interest in cars and would often ask who was winning the street races that may or may not have been happening. He always made sure my Mother and my brothers and sisters had what they needed and did a good job of trying to set a good example for us all.

We lost Dad in '97 at 91 years old. I miss him a lot and think of him nearly every day.

 

My dad grew up in northeastern PA, the son of a coal miner/postal worker. He graduated from Lehigh University with a degree in Chemistry in 1942 and immediately entered the Army under the ROTC program. He didn't have a lot of money after graduation so he signed up for bomb disposal since he could get his uniform allowance immediately as opposed to the 6 weeks delay for other more glamorous assignments. After the war he worked at Oak Ridge where the government received patents that are still classified for several of his inventions. He never really understood my passion for all things mechanical but was always supportive. He worked long hours in support of his family. We always took family vacations and family came first. He turned 100 in May and any success I have had in life can be traced back to all he has done for me.

 

My father was an Elder at the Church of Christ in Portland, Or. and a lineman for "Ma Bell" for decades. Though not much of a car guy, he was the finest example of a man I had ever, or likely ever shall encounter in my lifetime.

 

Dad's family had orange groves and a fuel station in my home town in Israel and he was going to continue with this line of business but then the Israeli War of Independence happened (47-49), his White M3 halftrack hit a mine and he suffered serious back injuries. Back then they did not have the medical know-how to fish out splinters from one's spine and the doctors advised him to do "something else" instead of farm work and similar, so dad went back to study, got a law degree and qualified as an attorney, which he remained until he left us in 2013, aged 85. He wasn't a car guy but we always had US- and Canadian-made cars which is where I got my "disease" I guess... Pics are from when he was at high school, at the fuel station and with our 64 Fairlane.

 

Engine driver, circus train

 

I'd have to say that my dad either was a serious influence in my being a car guy or that he was always my number one supporter and cheering section.
I don't have a ready photo but my dad and his buddy Lyle Browning cut my dad's late 20's Chevy down into a sort of a speedster in the late 30's He also had a supercharged 37 Hollywood Graham in the late 30's early 40's before he entered the Army Air Corps.
Top two photos are from when he was in the service. He flew as a tail gunner in B 25's in the south pacific in WWII with the 5th Army air Corps
Second photo is his 41 Ford Ragtop that he bought when he came back from overseas. Car was said to have had the loudest pipes in the Yakima Valley according to the local cop.
Third photo is one of his life long buddies while they were still in the service with his car. Not dad but his car and the only almost color photo I have of it. I think that is the same buddy who owned the chrome shop in Yakima for years and plated my grill and bumper.
A guy who lived for his kids and his grand kids.
After he got out of the service and got married he ran a service station for a while then worked for the local Shell Oil distributor for several years before moving to Renton and going to work at Boeings after my folks divorced. He worked there for 33 years before retiring.

 

My dad was born in 1912 oldest of 17 kids. When he was 13 my grandfather fell off the roof of their farm house and was never able to work much again.
So it was up to him to work and bring in what money he could. Married my mom just before WW2'
Got drafted for the war and got taken by train to California before they told him they didn't have uniforms big enough for him and sent him home. He was 6'3"" and 310 lbs. and a black smith at the time in lumber camps. After the war he became a self taught heavy equipment mechanic and fabricator.
He worked hard and drank hard until diabetes got ahold of him. He stopped drinking and was almost blind when he died at 63. My mom and him got a divorce when I was 15 and he became a bitter lonely old man.
I left home at 17 and never looked back. He was a pure asshole to me his whole life.

 

I envy you guys who had great relationships with your Fathers. I on the other hand, did not. He had over 30 bombing missions in B-17s during the war and I always respected him for that, but it was in the Army Air Corp. that he really learned to drink and it continued his whole life. He spent most of his life after the war as a linotype operator at small Southern newspapers and ultimately as a proof-reader at the U.S. Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. He died early at 58, likely from the results of alcoholism. He never treated my Mother well nor my step-Sister and shoved me around sometimes when he was drunk. I even had to bail him out of jail once when he hit a neighbor's car when he was trashed. He never wanted to spend time with me on car related projects when I was young as he would rather sit in a local bar with his drinking pals all day. Sadly, in his last few years of life, he wanted to spend more time with me, actually wanting me to have a beer with him. By this time, I was 29 years old and really didn't care to spend time with him. I told my Mother, who I loved dearly, it's just a little too late! Hope this isn't a "downer" for those reading it. Just the honest truth, I've long ago reconciled with it. .........Don.