MY WHOLE LIFE I'VE BEEN PRETTY LUCKY WHEN IT CAME TO GETTING MY PRAYERS ANSWERED. THIS TIME I PRAYED FOR A MIRACLE, BUT MY LUCK RAN OUT.

IRONICALLY, HIS PASSING CAME IN DECEMBER, WHICH FROM OUR BEGINNING AS A FAMILY WAS ALWAYS A MONTH FILLED WITH CELEBRATION, JOY, GOOD FOOD AND GREAT PEOPLE, AS WERE MANY OF ANN AND JOE'S PARTIES. SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO HONOR MY FATHER BY MAINTAINING THIS TRADITION WITH A CELEBRATION OF HIS LIFE TODAY AND FOREVER WITH OUR MEMORIES.

MY DAD WAS MY HERO, THE MAN WHO ALWAYS MADE ME FEEL SAFE AND SECURE, AND WHO WAS ALWAYS THERE TO SUPPORT US.

WHEN I WAS TOLD OF HIS DEATH I SUDDENLY FELT LIKE A LITTLE GIRL, ALONE, LOOKING FRANTICALLY FOR THAT FAMILIAR PAIR OF ARMS TO PICK ME UP, PUT MY CHIN IN THAT CERTAIN SPOT ON HIS SHOULDER AND TOLD EVERYTHING WAS ALRIGHT.

MY WHOLE LIFE I WAS SO PROUD OF MY FATHER. HE WAS A SIMPLE MAN, GENEROUS TO A FAULT, HONEST, HARD WORKING, LOYAL AND LOVING TO OUR MOM. HE WAS AN HONORABLE AND ADMIRABLE MAN WHO ALWAYS DID WHAT HE FELT WAS THE RIGHT THING IN HIS LIFE. HE WAS ALL THIS AND HANDSOME TOO. ONCE WHEN HE CAME TO PICK ME UP AT COLLEGE, THE GIRLS THOUGHT HE WAS MY DATE AND HE LOVED IT! HE GOT THAT BIG SMILE ON HIS FACE AND LIT UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE.

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, I LOVED HIM AND WAS PROUD OF HIM FOR ALWAYS BEING SO POSITIVE ABOUT LIFE. HE ALWAYS ENCOURAGED US TO GO FOR IT AND NOT WORRY SO MUCH ABOUT THE BAD STUFF. THE FACT THAT HE HAD COME OUT THE OTHER END OF A WORLD WAR GAVE HIM A BELIEF THAT YOU COULD SURVIVE A FIGHT TO REACH A GOAL, BIG OR SMALL. THIS WAS HIS GREATEST LEGACY TO HIS KIDS.

WE SAW THIS TENACITY IN THIS LAST YEAR AS JOE AND I BOTH FOUGHT SO HARD TO SUPPORT HIM AS HE HAD DONE FOR US OUR WHOLE LIVES, WHILE HE FOUGHT US SO HARD TO MAINTAIN HIS INDEPENDENCE DESPITE HIS DECLINING HEALTH. I BELIEVE THAT HE FELT IF HE COULD KEEP GOING ON HIS OWN IT MEANT EVERYTHING WAS OK.

DESPITE THE LONLINESS HE FELT WITHOUT MY MOM IN HIS LIFE, HE WAS DETERMINED TO LIVE HIS NEW LIFE AS THE SAME PRINCIPLED, CONFIDENT MAN HE HAD ALWAYS BEEN TO THOSE HE LOVED.

I ADMIRED AND WAS SO PROUD OF HOW MUCH HE LOVED HIS FAMILY AND ALWAYS REMINISCED ABOUT HIS FRIENDS AND THE FUN HE HAD IN HIS YOUTH. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES WE HEARD THE STORIES ABOUT PINE ALLEY, BARE ASS BEACH (SORRY FATHER), AND EATING BOLOGNE SANDWICHES FOR CHRISTMAS.

HE WAS CRAZY ABOUT MY MOTHER AND WAS BROKEN HEARTED WITHOUT HER. HE HONORED HIS MOTHER AND FATHER; WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR HIS SISTER ROSE; LOVED TO TEASE HIS BROTHER TONY AND IDOLIZED HIS KID BROTHR CARM. WITHOUT THEM HE FELT LESS JOY IN HIS LIFE.

BUT THERE WAS A BRIGHT SIDE IN HIS LIFE AT THIS TIME IN THAT MY BROTHER BECAME THE MOST VALUED PRESENCE IN HIS LIFE AND WITHOUT WHOM MY DAD WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST. JOEY AND HIS ENTIRE FAMILY WHERE ALWAYS THERE FOR MY DAD AND GAVE HIM NEW JOY IN HIS LAST YEARS.

AMONG OTHERS WHO HELPED OUT WITH MY DAD, LIKE MY COUSIN ROSALIE AND BILL WARGIN, THERE WERE ALSO 2 BEAUTIFUL ANGELS IN MY DAD'S LIFE, THAT'S HOW HE REFERRED TO THEM: THE JOE'S, JOE VERENNA AND JOE JOIRLE. MY DAD LOVED MONDAYS AND FRIDAYS BECAUSE OF THESE TWO. IT WAS THE REASON HE WANTED TO STAY IN P'BURG DESPITE MY PRESSURE ON HIM TO COME WITH ME. HIS TIME WITH THEM CONNECTED HIM TO WHAT HE REMEMBERED AS "GOOD TIMES" AND HELPED GIVE HIM HOPE FOR MORE OF A FUTURE. FOR THAT I WILL BE EVER GRATEFUL TO THESE TWO MEN.

BUT HOW COULD I HONOR THIS MAN WITHOUT DESCRIBING HIM AS THE "LIFE OF THE PARTY". HE LOVED BEING ASKED TO ENTERTAIN THE CROWD WHETHER ON A STAGE OR IN YOUR KITCHEN. HE LOVED THAT EVERYONE ENJOYED LISTENING TO HIM SING. HE MADE US PROUD WITH HIS GOD-GIVEN TALENT, BUT IT ALWAYS MEANT MY MOM, JOEY AND I WOULD BE IN FOR A LONG NIGHT.

AND THOUGH WE WILL NEVER AGAIN HEAR HIS BEAUTIFUL VOICE IN PERSON, I AM POSITIVE THOSE WHO WENT BEFORE HIM AND GREETED HIM AS HE CROSSED OVER HEARD AN UPROAR IN THE ANGEL CHORUS. GUITARS AND MANDOLINS STARTED PLAYING AND VOICES WERE HEARD SAYING: HEY NOTE, SING "WHEN YOUR OLD WEDDING RING WAS NEW". NO, SING "DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL. THEN ONE SWEET ANGEL STEP UP AND SAID: NO HONEY, SING "MY WAY".

Roseann Lafiska