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I wanted to put a memorial on this website for my dad because I miss him so much. I still look at this site often. First,because I canÃ?â??ââ?¬â?¢t believe he is gone from our lives and second because the outpouring of such nice messages really helped us all through the most difficult time in our lives to date. My brother, John, gave a wonderful eulogy for our father at his funeral and I couldnÃ?â??ââ?¬â?¢t help but think, if mom, Dave, Jenny, and I all gave eulogies too, we would each have such different wonderful memories of the times we spent with dad, but then again many of the fond memories of the man he was would be exactly the same. I have felt the need to give my eulogy for dad and have dreamt about what I should say, but getting it from my head to this website was more difficult than I thought it would be, but here goes:My dad always told me that when I was a little girl, I would rush to the top of the stairs as he came home from work to ask him if he had a good day. I often remember following him around outside as he watered the plants and trees quizzing him about work. Did he like it? Did he like being there all day? Later, I found out these were very special moments for him as well. Dad and I had a special relationship because we were two peas in a pod or two bulls in a china shop-however you want to view it. We were definitely cut from the same cloth Ã?â??ââ?¬â?? his I guess. We were alike in mind and body and spirit. We could read each otherÃ?â??ââ?¬â?¢s minds, thoughts, and feelings because we were so much alike. In my teen years this led to trouble. Two stubborn people in the same household did not go over too well. When we got upset with each other we retreated to two different sides of the house until mom finally made us make up with each other. It wasnÃ?â??ââ?¬â?¢t until I went away to college at the University of Illinois that I realized how really special our bond was. Mom and Dad drove me to my freshman dorm room and helped me unload my things, they spent the day with me and when it came time for them to return to Decatur and leave me in my new world, mom gave me a hug and started walking toward the door. Dad cried. It was in that moment I knew how much he really loved me. The one good thing about being single for so long was that I spent many wonderful moments with mom and dad that I will cherish forever. We spent many great times together, going on trips to see the grandbabies, or just trips to see the country, converting home movies into VHS tapes, fishing on Lake Shelbyville, shopping to remodel mom and dadÃ?â??ââ?¬â?¢s home, hanging out before and after Illini games, Christmas shopping, etc., etc. The toasts he gave at my rehearsal dinner and my wedding were ones I will never forget. They really touched my heart.My Dad was not only a great Dad, but he was also a great person. Again, I am realizing in his absence the standards he taught us to uphold, the values he instilled in all of us, and all the lessons he taught us in life. He did not see classes of people, he treated everyone the same. He brought smiles to many faces wherever we were.My Dad was one of the best friends I had in this world. I knew he would always be there for me, and there have been many times still I have thought to pick up the phone to tell him a story about something going on in my life only to realize I do not have that luxury anymore. I have heard many people say after they have lost someone that one thing they miss most is talking with them and now I understand exactly what they were saying. I really miss our serious conversations, our silly conversations about TV shows, and getting advice from one of the people in this world that I thought had all the answers. I miss his smile, I miss his laugh, I miss his voice, I miss his sense of humor and his childlike love of life. I know he is in heaven frustrated because he didnÃ?â??ââ?¬â?¢t have enough time, that there was still more he needed to do, more events he needed to attend, more trips he needed to take, more time he wanted to s