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| Pickle-Ball T-Shirt designed by Bob Walker |
We moved to Cumberland in 2007. At that time Bill was working in Boston and left early for his morning commute. I was working nights at Women and Infants Hospital and did not get home until late morning. We needed someone to be with our young daughter until she went to school. Mom and Dad graciously stepped in. They gave up the Condo that they loved on the golf course and moved with us to Cumberland.
The next 8 years were good ones. We all got along very well, getting into a nice rhythm of life. Our daughter Katie thrived. She ate breakfast with Gram and Gramps every day developing a special bond with them. Family dinners were held upstairs and always included lots of lively conversation. We talked about everything from politics to projects that needed doing. One topic that always came up was death. Katie joked that dinner was never complete until we came around to that topic. We discussed who had recently died, what we wanted at our funerals and even the songs that Katie would sing for each of us at our funeral! My father and Bill had envelopes labeled, " open in case of death" with final directions included. We thought we were so prepared. So it was shocking to me how "Unexpected" the death of my father was.
Dad was in good health. He had visited the family doctor not long before he died and got a clean bill of health. He was active. He walked, he golfed and had recently taken up Pickle Ball. (1)
Dad was an amazing man with a real passion for life and once he became interested in something, his obsession with learning everything about it was all consuming. He read books, joined groups, watched YouTube videos, and bought every gadget related to his new interest!
Some of his passions included:
Golf, bowling, football, fantasy 5 football, geocaching, cooking, painting, building model airplanes, flying small motorized airplanes, small pilot license, making flies for fly fishing, downhill skiing, chess, camping, genealogy, square dancing, bird watching, motorcycle riding, and Texas Hold-Em poker. He started his own Solar Power business in the 70's way before it became popular. He bought a sail boat that slept 7 and taught himself how to sail. Anyone who spent time on our sailboat will also remember the only cassette tape he had was of Chuck Mangione that he played over and over. Dad loved Jazz but he was totally tone deaf but that never stopped him from being one of the loudest singers in church! He was an accomplished Electrician and owned his own business 'Central Electric " that he inherited from his father. He did all these things while lovingly raising five children and being a devoted husband.
The last thing that caught dads fancy was Pickle Ball. He played his first game in Florida and from there he became obsessed. He read every book he could find, watched every YouTube video, bought all the gear and he and mom were on the Pickle Ball courts five days a week. He owned his own net and carried a measuring tape in his bag to make sure he marked off the court precisely. He even bought an old embroidery machine to embroider logo's on t-shirts to give out to all his teammates.
My dad was truly a renaissance man.
The morning of March 8, 2015 was a good one. It was a lazy Sunday. Both Katie and I went downstairs to eat breakfast with my parents before they left for a Pickle Ball Tournament in Hartford, Ct. They were both excited for their overnight adventure.
My dad had a ritual where he would get up from breakfast , give my mom a kiss and say he was "going to see the wizard". Grand kids and kids alike would get up and race to be the first one to also give him a kiss like he was heading to some far off destination. When the grand kids were little they would ask to go see the wizard too and he would just smile. After a while they realized he was just going to the bathroom!
That morning both Katie and I jumped up to give gramps kisses and hugs before he went to "See the Wizard". It did not matter that Katie was 15 and I was 52. We both acted like little kids.
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Robert Walker 1937-2015 "Gone to see the Wizard" |
Mom and Dad played their first Pickle-Ball game at the tournament. Dad won his game. He sat down and did not get up again. He was gone just like that. It was all so unexpected. Even now 5 years later his loss feels overwhelming. We are all happy he did not suffer and that he was doing something he loved and he was with the one person he loved most in this world- my mother. But what we wouldn't give to have him back.
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Dad's Memorial Garden 2020 |
Knowing Dad as
I do I 'm sure he is loving this new journey.
I am also sure he is eagerly awaiting our arrival in heaven and when
that day comes for each of us, he will be so excited to show us all he has done
there while he was waiting for his beloved family to arrive.
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