Words that we would use to describe our Dad:
Happy, Determined, Willpower, Loving, Dapper, Simple, Generous
Born in Brockton, Massachusetts on February 22, 1935. Son to Nathan and Louise Mayhew. The older brother to two younger sisters; Pat and Natalie. Father/Step-Father to six children. Maria, Rhonda, Stephanie, Jennifer, Jodi and Nathan. When we became a blended family and our step sisters moved in with us, Dad opened his home and heart to his new daughters and accepted them with no reservations.

He was a Veteran of the United States Army who served in Korea at the end of the conflict. He often told stories of his escapades as the Company's Purser while he was stationed in Korea such as the time that he sent the General's plane to be serviced and it went "missing" only later to be found in Japan.

He was a happy man who enjoyed his life. He enjoyed a good joke, a good song to sing along to, and comfy chair to nap in. The old saying "he never met a stranger" applied to our Dad in every way. He would often stop to chat and pass the time of day with the people he met in his daily activities.

He was a man who had the determination and will power of a Rhino. He refused to let life set the bar of expectation for him. When his medical condition resulted in the loss of his feet, he did not let that slow him down. He adapted and kept pushing on. If life gave him lemons, he didn't make lemonade, he made lemoncello.

One of our earliest memories of family gatherings is of Dad playing cards with the aunts and uncles. Poker, Spades, Eucker and Gin Rummy. Loud, raccus and fast. For the majority of our life, we thought that you couldn't play cards without yelling at the other players. You had to be on your toes to play cards with Dad as the many players at the Texas Holdem games will tell you. He also enjoyed bingo and bowling and took us all with him on his nights off to the alley while he enjoyed a few games and a beer or two.

A lover of words and a career newspaper man. He would read the news paper from cover to cover everyday. He passed on his love of words to his children. A rousing game of Boggle in our house could easily turn into Family Fued if you tried to pass off an unacceptable word.

As children we did not have a lot in the way of material things, but we had each other and our Father taught us that there was nothing greater or more important than family. We may have doubted a lot of things in life, but we never doubted we were loved.