Father’s Day Memories

Our fathers try to teach us so much. They sometimes settle us down, formally, and say things like “OK, this is important. What you need to know is….”

Sometimes the wise ones – hammered as they often are on the anvil of experience – will quietly drop a short lesson in. ‘Hmmm…Do you think that was the best choice?’

Former editor Jon Rizzi recalled his father, John: “Of all the advice he gave me—“Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut,” “The only sure way to lose is not to try”—the lesson that stuck with me most came during the last years of his life.

“Whenever we asked if he wanted to do something, he’d respond ‘Sure, why not?’

“That what-the-hell attitude took a nonagenarian to Cooperstown to watch his nephew compete in a tournament, to Broadway to see The Book of Mormon (which he loved), to a berth on the Turner Classic Movie Cruise and to dozens of other places where he was by decades the oldest person there. He refused to go gently into that good night.”

Lori Perry, our VP of sales here at the AvidGolfer and AvidLifestyle family, said her father Darrell Spletter “taught me respect and responsibility, the value of hard work, and taking care of what God blessed us with in life. He taught me to stand up for what I believe in and to never give up. He has an amazing sense of humor, a love of neighbors, family and people.”

He is now 90 and dealing with health issues, Lori says, but called her father “ so full of grit and determination that he farmed the family farm until he was 87 before he retired from farming.”

Brenna Farrell, art director for our AvidLifestyle brand, said “My father, Guy, taught me many things growing up from riding a bike to playing sports. But the biggest lesson he taught me was to be patient and not to take life so seriously. In difficult situations, have patience and ride the waves in the storm.”

Our Associate Publisher, Chris Phillips, said his father Stan “taught me everything about what it looks like to be an amazing husband, an amazing dad, an amazing grandpa some day and most of all – a great man! He is a true legend to anyone who has ever crossed his path.”

Michael Colander, our events and Golf Passport manager, and father to a new puppy, said “My dad has taught me the importance of conversation and making everyone feel welcomed and loved. My dad shaped me into who I am today, given me my love for sports and golf, and most importantly shown me how to be a humble man of God.”

Our art director, D.T. Carel, said his father gave him his love of design, among other gifts. “I inherited most of my passions from my dad, Dewayne. He passed on his love of art and design on to me, which in turn led me to be the Art Director for this very sports and lifestyle magazine. He passed on his zest for life, travel, sense of humor and love of sci-fi movies. Oh, he also taught me how to be a self-reliant, honest and caring person.”

My Dad, John, took me golfing a lot. It’s a big reason why I play. Once we were tooling around a course in a cart late on a clear, cool Ohio Fall Sunday. My dad breathed really deeply through his nose as the cool air rushed past us.

“I like days like this,” he said. “I like to breathe it in by the snootfull.”

I’m guessing he didn’t mean that as a life lesson. But I remember it to this day: take the time to enjoy small gifts as they come your way. Because when they’re gone you will miss them. A lot.

—JIM BEBBINGTON