Dale that was a really good read. It brings back a lot of great fishing memories with my dad. We just buried him March 4th of this year. He always took me fishing as a kid. He fished all the local bassmaster clubs, also the guys and gals tournaments with my mom, and a few other local bass tours for all of my childhood. Whenever he was prefishing, if I wasn't in school, I was with him. He even had me fishing open tournaments with him from age 10+.
We always fished for Bass, Walleye or Crappie. My grandfather got me into the catfishing buzz. When my father was diagnosed with stage 4 terminal lung cancer last May, he sold his bass rig to my brother-in-law and bought a new 2072 tunnel hull alumacraft. I'm purchasing that boat now from my mother and selling my rig. We didn't get to make enough memories in that boat, but then again i'd feel that way if he passed at 88yrs rather than the 58yrs he made it to. I'm now the same age he was when I was born. Makes me wonder if i'm half through here on earth, and I'm still in my 20's, well barely!!! He was my fishing buddy, and on 95% of all my fishing trips to this day.
We were fortunate to have him as long as we did, he was told by a doctor he was going to die in 1980 when I was 18 months old. He had an auto-immune disease and lost his kidneys among partial shutdown of his lungs and other organs at that time. His brother gave him a kidney transplant in 1984, and he got his health back. He had numerous boughts with cancer ranging from skin cancer, to breats cancer prior to this. They were mostly caused by the anti-rejection meds he was on for the kidney transplant.
He lived everyday really wanting to do all he could with his family, not knowing how much time he had left. We got 24 good years out him from that kidney transplant, I owe my uncle the world. It's because of him I have so many memories with my father. Like my fathers oncologist said when he was diagnosed with this last bought of cancer. When we asked him how much time he had left he said. "One day, thats all we are ever have garanteed." He told him that for 9 months, I guess he was right. It just make you think, one day at a time! You never know how many you have left.
I was out on the water for the first time since his passing last Monday. It never really hit me like I thought it would, it felt like he was right there with me. It just sunk in when I got home and wanted to call and give him the days fishing report. Whenever I went fishing without him, I always called to tell him how it went as soon as I walked through the door!
Sorry to bable on here, its just that Dales story just really hit close to home!! Its the most enjoyable read I've had in a long time. Thanks for the Great story Dale!