He

He was born in a log cabin.  He grew up on a dairy farm in northwestern Minnesota.  He lived through the depression.  His asthma and hay fever made life on a farm difficult.  He did well in school but worked to please himself, not the teachers.  His yearbook says his goal in life is to be a "benevolent despot."  He passed the physical to join the Navy but the war ended before he enlisted.  He met a girl.  His sister brought her to the farm for a vacation.  He married the girl.  They were young, in love, skinny, and carefree.  He was frugal all his life.  He added three digit numbers in his head to keep his mind sharp.  He was quietly religious and attended services every weekend.  He built a house in the suburbs.  He dug the basement with a team of horses.  He read a book on plumbing and electrical wiring and he built the house very well.  He had a daughter.  Their Christmas gift for each other the first year in the house was a door so the daughter would not fall down the basement steps.  He preferred to be safe and that other people were safe too. The next birthday gift was a door for the bathroom.  He had another daughter (me).  He got a job as a manager at a manufacturing plant.  Tragedy struck.  The first daughter died of leukemia.  He carried on.  He had another daughter. He spoke up for his wife's parents when the city tried to take their land.  He built a playhouse in the backyard for the children.  He took his family on vacations at his brother's resort on a small lake.  He helped his parents on the family farm.  In October he went duck hunting.  He helped his brothers and sisters.  He bought a farm with his brother.  He was the man people called when things broke down.  He had another daughter. He donated more than 20 gallons of blood to the American Red Cross.  He was an usher at church.  He made his kids a mini-bike using a lawn mower motor. His wife stayed home and cared for the children.  Sometimes she sat in his lap after dinner.  He had another daughter.  In November he usually went deer hunting.  He hung the deer in the garage and did the butchering himself.  His wife was pregnant and sick.  The doctor told him he had to choose.  He could save his wife or he could save the baby.  He chose to save his wife.  He had anther daughter.  After work he enjoyed a beer before supper.  He usually had one or two kids on his lap when he read the Pioneer Press.  When his parents could not care for themselves anymore, he took them in.  He helped his wife take care of his parents until they died.  He had a son.  When his sister in Seattle became ill, he sent his wife to take care of her.  When his sister came home to Minnesota to die, he took her in.  He kept the house at 68 degrees.  He said things like, "Put on a sweater if you are cold," or "Turn the light off when you leave a room," or "Drink that milk at the bottom of your cereal bowl."  He took his wife on a trip to Australia.  He had old fashioned ideas about the roles of men and women.  His wife secretly took driving lessons.  He secretly bought her a car.  They exchanged an anniversary card. They signed the card in pencil, erased the name, and gave the same card back and forth for several years.  His wife got a job.  He adjusted.  He made a two story addition to his house, adding a fireplace and stucco siding.  His wife went to college.  He supported her decision.  He was sent to Germany to learn about plastic molding machines.  He brought back a cuckoo clock from the Black Forest.  He bought a cabin that was part of his brother's resort on the small lake.  He made many improvements on the cabin and enjoyed reading books while enjoying the view.  He invited the children and grandchildren to stay.  He bought a paddle boat for them to use. The company he worked for moved to North Carolina.  He was asked to move there.  He decided to stay.  He found work in South Dakota.  His wife drove out there to visit him.  He found a job closer to home and worked there until he retired.  He bought a farm near his family home, across the lake his cabin.  He cleaned up the property.  He reshingled the barn roof by himself.  He painted the barn.  He cleaned up the trash left on the property.  He killed the Canadian thistles.  He rented several fields and the pasture to his nephew.  He cut and split firewood. Sometimes he went fishing or out to lunch with his friends.  As always, he helped his friends and family when something broke down.  He generously invited his children and grandchildren to stay at the farm to relax or hunt or fish.  He bought a golf cart and snowmobiles for their entertainment.  He loved to listen to the morning news, the noon news, and the evening news on television.  He read voraciously, borrowing books from the library.  He preferred mystery fiction.  He enjoyed retirement but kept busy making repairs and improvements.  He stayed tall and physically fit aside from problems with high blood pressure.  His wife began to show her age. He helped her.  He made improvements in the house to make life easier for her.  She became ill.  He stayed home more and more.  He promised to take care of her.  He began to make the meals.  He cleaned the house.  He did the laundry.  He took her to the doctor.  He started to anticipate her needs.  He waited on her.  When she began hospice services, he didn't want any help.  He didn't want Meals on Wheels or homemaker services.  He made bran muffins.  He perfected the recipe and made 40 muffins at a time.  He baked pork chops with carrots, onions and potatoes in the oven.  He scrubbed the floors and got rid of the spider webs.  He continued to cut the grass and take care of the yard.  He took over her job in the flower garden and was proud of his work.  As her condition worsened, he put a positive spin on the situation.  He knew his kids had their own lives and he didn't want to inconvenience anyone.  He gave her the medicine she needed.  He helped her get around the house.  He helped her bathe.  When the truth came out about how much help she needed, he continued to paint a positive picture.  He began to accept some of the help that was offered but only from family members.  He advocated for her.  He read the Physicians Desk Reference  for every medication she was prescribed.  He took notes on how much she ate, slept, and when she took her medicine.  He was innovative and creative in his care for her.  He accepted her where she was and was patient.  He flirted with her to take her mind off her troubles.  He missed the woman she used to be.  He protected her privacy.  He treated her with respect and dignity.  He put her needs first.  He was grateful for the assistance and support he got.  He focused on what she could do instead of what she couldn't do.  He kept her entertained. He held her hands when she was scared.  He gave her reassurance and love.  And now, as she lays dying in the living room, he holds her hands for hours every day.  He treats her like a queen.   He doesn't say much but his actions scream commitment and caring.  He sets the bar really high.  He is part of the Greatest Generation.  We stand in awe hoping to learn all we can from him.  And he would hate me putting all this on "that Internet" so please don't say anything.