On Saturday, 24 May, 2008, my most darling Daddy reaches a significant milestone: he turns 90 years old! Yep, that's right, Daddy's reached the big nine-oh - and it's been ninety years packed full of all sorts of joy, kindness, laughter, pain, smiles, and gracious character.
Daddy was born in Seattle, WA, in 1918. He had two older sisters (who are already in Heaven), and an older brother, who died before Daddy was born. Unfortunately, this wasn't the only sad thing in his young life; his father died when Dad was only 2, so he never really knew him. His Mom and sisters, however, raised him to be a true gentleman whose word was his bond, and who had a kind word for everyone.
Daddy served as a supply officer in World War II, including a tour on Midway - during the time of the Japanese attack. Daddy doesn't talk much about the war - mainly about the good times he had on Oahu when on leave - but he does recall that he stood at the bedside of Ensign Gay when the Ensign gave his report to Daddy's senior officer. That's all he's ever said about it, but his voice was choked with emotion.
Eventually, Daddy got his pilot's license (his eyesight wasn't good enough for the Navy to train him), and went to work for American Airlines. He eventually advanced to the position of pilot, and flew the Boeing 707 during his last years of employment - he loved that plane! I remember that he took me with him to Salt Lake City one time. We had dinner in a Japanese restaurant where we took our shoes off, donned paper slippers, and sat in cushions at a low table. It was my first taste of Japanese food, and I've loved it ever since. On the way back, one of the flight attendants taught me how to use chopsticks, although she had a hard time, since I'm left-handed ;-) Daddy also took me with him to Aruba for his very last flight; I remember I got to sit in the cockpit when the official pilot allowed Daddy to fly the take off (Daddy was supposed to dead head back).
Daddy and I have always been able to talk together. Mom has often said that he and I think very much alike (which I would dispute; I think I'm much more like Mom!). But, I've always been able to go to him with my problems, ask him to explain something, talk theology, or just sit and enjoy each other's presence. Once when I was a young teen, one of the men who had been hired to paint the inside of our house left me a note, inviting me to run away with him. Back in the day, I had no idea of older men (he must have been about 30 -ooooo) being attracted to young teens (I think I was about 15), and I was very upset and frightened. What did I do? I ran to my Daddy, right away... And that man was gone!
All my friends who have met Daddy have remarked at how sweet he is. One friend even wished he was her father - but then, her dad was a pretty awful guy. When I graduated from Greenwich Academy in 1982, my 41 classmates voted me "Daddy's Girl," a title I rejoice in to this day.
Daddy's not perfect, of course; there have been times when he's disappointed me, and I know I've returned the favor more than once. But I have never doubted his love for me, my brother, and my little sister. He pretty much idolizes my Mom! Daddy has treated all of us with a tender and loving generosity which is the ideal for all true dads. As a matter of fact, I'm also a fine example of the premise that women marry men who are very much like their fathers; the Beloved Husband has a similar personality, he's also a wonderfully loving husband and father, and he has the same easy-going and kind manner as Daddy.
So, my beloved father, I wish you a happy 90th birthday, and I pray that God will grant you many more years with us.
I love you, Daddy. You're the best Daddy in the world for me, and I thank God every day for the gift He gave me in you!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
UPDATE: I had sent an announcement to my lists and several other folks about Daddy's birthday. One of those people was Chris Muir of Day By Day, a man I greatly admire for his talent, his humor, and his kindness and graciousness. I hoped he might find just a quick minute to stop by and type a simple "Happy Birthday" .... But he did so much more:
Chris, this is... I am... speechless. Dumbfounded. That is Daddy to a "T"!!! Thank you so much, from the very bottom of my heart! Truly, you are a gentleman of the first rank, and I am honored by your gift!
Best and happiest birthday wishes to you, Mr. Cat. ;)
And may you have many more!!!
Posted by: Nicki | May 21, 2008 at 10:49 AM
Happy Birthday Kat's Daddy! :)
You've had an amazing life and judging by the friendship and respect I have for your daughter, you have been an amazing example for your family. I'm glad I get to take a little time out of my day to wish you the happiest birthday ever!
Posted by: Jody | May 21, 2008 at 10:50 AM
Happy birthday! And a military man too! Thank you for serving. Enjoy the cake! ;-)
Posted by: c.a. Marks | May 21, 2008 at 10:52 AM
Remember: 90 is the new 40! Have a happy one!
Posted by: Attila Girl | May 21, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Happy birthday, Mr. W! I can tell you're a great dad, because you raised a very special daughter!
Best wishes on your birthday, may you have many more happy birthdays to come! :)
Posted by: Beth | May 21, 2008 at 11:01 AM
Happy birthday, Kat's Daddy!!!! And a Navy man, too, how can I not think this is awesome? I have nothing but the utmost respect for your daughter- best wishes!
Posted by: Genevieve | May 21, 2008 at 11:08 AM
Many wonderful birthday blessings to you, Mr. W.
Posted by: Conservative Belle | May 21, 2008 at 11:15 AM
HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY!!!! According to Kat's writing, you have obviously been quite a blessing to many lives during your 90 years. Being raised without your own father apparently didn't hinder your own ability to be a great Daddy. Thanks for serving our wonderful country.
God bless you!
Posted by: Angela | May 21, 2008 at 11:46 AM
Have a wonderful birthday. Thank you for your service and for raising such a wonderful daughter!
Posted by: Greta Perry | May 21, 2008 at 11:55 AM
Happiest of birthdays sir and THANK YOU for serving our country!!!
Posted by: Scott | May 21, 2008 at 11:56 AM
Happy Birthday from the Lone Star State!
If you came through my checkout line at work, I'd still card ya for beer! ;-)
(May Birthdays are THE BEST!!)
--TwoDragons
Posted by: Denita TwoDragons | May 21, 2008 at 12:09 PM
Congratulations on this special day
No doubt, you’ve done your best
Do take pride in all you’ve done
But waste no time to rest
Many years yet await your view
More laughter in the queue
But best of all is the reality
How much your Kat loves you
Happy birthday, Sir.
Posted by: Mustang | May 21, 2008 at 12:09 PM
Oh, what a wonderful life. And Mr. Kat you have certainly been eternally blessed with a wonderful daughter!
Posted by: Ogre | May 21, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Happy Birthday to Kat's Dad! Thank you for your service. Enjoy the birthday cake and have a great day!
Posted by: Conservativa | May 21, 2008 at 01:07 PM
Happy Birthday to Kat's Daddy! Hope you have a wonderful day!
Posted by: Caltechgirl | May 21, 2008 at 01:08 PM
Happy Birthday Kat's Dad! An inspiring life and I'm looking foward to many happy returns of this day as I suspect this Seasoned Citizen has some more inspiring to do for those of us of a younger generation.
All the best,
Jay Hughes
Posted by: NotNotJayHughes | May 21, 2008 at 01:19 PM
Happy 90th Birthday!
May joy and peace surround you,
contentment latch your door,
and happiness be with you now,
and God bless you evermore.
Janette
Posted by: Janette | May 21, 2008 at 01:32 PM
In 1918 a boy was born
Who would grow to be a great man
In the eyes of so many American folks
Across this wonderful land
Now today his whole family
Will gather to sing
Birthday Songs to this beloved guy
And the prayers that he
Celebrates many more
Will rise past the clouds in the sky
So here's to you Dear Cat's Dad
Who raised up your girl
That so many admire and adore
We wish you Good Health
Great times and for birthdays
We wish ten dozen more.
Posted by: kender | May 21, 2008 at 01:45 PM
Have a Happy Birthday and many, many more!!!
Posted by: Riley | May 21, 2008 at 02:28 PM
Many more happy returns to Kats Dad.
And thank you for your service.
Posted by: Maggie | May 21, 2008 at 02:47 PM
What a life of accomplishment to celebrate! Of course, certainly at the top must be that you are Kat's Daddy! :-) Happy Birthday!
Posted by: David | May 21, 2008 at 03:35 PM
happy happy 90th birthday to you Kat's Dad! we so appreciate your service and think you've raised a wonderful daughter. blessings to you!
Posted by: zoey | May 21, 2008 at 03:35 PM
Happy Birthday, Kat's Daddy, your daughter is one of the most gentle, uniquely loving individuals I have ever known...a testament to your parenting skills and love.
This, sir, is for you, a gift if I may. No doubt you know this one well.
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand
And touched the face of God.
Posted by: Sonnabend | May 21, 2008 at 04:42 PM
Happy Birthday to Kat's Dad!
You share a birthday with Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686 - 1736) and several others.
I hope you have a great birthday!
Edited so it has a clickable link - Thank you, Iso! -- K.
Posted by: Isophorone | May 21, 2008 at 05:45 PM
A true American hero! My hat's off to you, sir. Have a GREAT birthday, and God bless you!
Posted by: Mike J | May 21, 2008 at 05:58 PM
Happy Birthday to a true American Hero, one of our "Greatest Generation". We cannot thank you enough for your service to this great nation, and wish you God's Blessings on this very special day. Yes we all shall someday Fly High and touch the face of God !!!
Wishing you all the best and don't eat too much cake. !!!!
Mark and Sandy
Posted by: Mark-RadioCIA | May 21, 2008 at 06:00 PM
Happy Birthday to Kat's Dad!
Posted by: Leslie Carbone | May 21, 2008 at 06:13 PM
Happy Birthday Sir, and I thank you for your service to our country!
Robert Sexton
Captain, US Air Force (Discharged 1989)
Posted by: Intellectual Conservative | May 21, 2008 at 06:24 PM
Well sir, I can tell by the way your daughter dotes on you that you really are the Kat's meow. Many happy returns and I want you to know that I admire your virility. You are turning 90 and have a 25 year old (wink, wink) daughter.
Good for you.
God Bless and Happy Birthday
Posted by: Big Dog | May 21, 2008 at 06:25 PM
HAPPY B-Day Mr Kat's Dad... Thank you for your service and God Bless you and yours.
Posted by: Robert | May 21, 2008 at 07:02 PM
Happy 90th Birthday, Daddy!! W00T!!
My life has not been so exiting, though oddly enough I worked for American Airlines as well, from 1984-1992, in materials management (Supply)
Posted by: Joseph | May 21, 2008 at 07:11 PM
Wow! Happy 90th! God Bless, and enjoy.
Posted by: Douglas V. Gibbs | May 21, 2008 at 07:13 PM
Best wishes and God bless you "Daddy" for raising such a daughter.
I know that would be all you wanted in the world is to live a good life and raise a child you could be proud of. You did.
Your life sounds very similar to my Father's. He was the youngest of six, lost his Dad at age five, served in the Pacific, but wouldn't talk very much about it.
You got your pilots license in spite of what they said you couldn't do, my Dad worked for every aero-spacial company (JPL, Aero-Jet General, Hughes), despite his not having a college degree.
You, sir, are the example that we look up to.
That your daughter loves you so much is evidence that you have lived a good life.
You have a Happy Birthday!!
Posted by: SoCalOilMan | May 21, 2008 at 07:17 PM
Happy Happy Birthday!!
Kat you are so blessed to have had so many wonderful years with such a wonderful father. May you have many many more. Your Dad sounds so much like mine. Would that I have been allowed as many years with mine as you have with yours. Cherish every day!
Sir, I would like to thank you for your faithful service to our Country and for raising your children to be honorable, truthful, and faithful. You are a blessing as well as being blessed.
Posted by: Mrs. M | May 21, 2008 at 07:48 PM
From the entire sane blogosphere, Sir may your happiest days be ahead of you. I pray that I may enjoy the depth of love from my daughters as you so enjoy from yours. Their love is the purest reward on earth. HAPPY 90 AND A TOAST TO 100.
LC D'
Posted by: ricky stayton | May 21, 2008 at 07:59 PM
Sir Happy Birthday and Thank You for your service.
Posted by: Lc Scott | May 21, 2008 at 08:05 PM
Happy Birthday to your dad Kat. Sending all my best wishes and prayers to you and him.
Posted by: Azygos | May 21, 2008 at 08:16 PM
Happy Birthday, Sir, and many more!
Ya' wanna know something...your daughter's catchin' up! But then again, we're all on the same treadmill, eh?!
God bless and thanks for all your service. I would have loved to have been one of your passengers.
Posted by: J.R. | May 21, 2008 at 08:17 PM
Bless you sir, as you have been a maker of our history.
Posted by: LC Curmudgeon1 | May 21, 2008 at 09:09 PM
Thank you for your service to our country. Hoping you see fit to jot down a note or two about your ninety years...and some plans for the next ninety.
Posted by: Morgan K Freeberg | May 21, 2008 at 09:10 PM
Happy Birthday. What a wonderful post! I enjoyed reading it because it reminded me of my own father - born in 1919, served in World War II in the south Pacific (Marines). What a wonderful generation of men you came from. Blessings to you and your family for a wonderful birthday and many more years of love and laughter.
Posted by: Carol | May 21, 2008 at 09:16 PM
From a retired Army Major, here's hoping you have a very Happy Birthday Sir. Your daughter is a wonderful person and obviously very proud of you, and so are we... for your military service, and as a father. Bless you and your family on your special day.
Posted by: Stashiu3 | May 21, 2008 at 09:56 PM
Happy 90th, Kat's Daddy! I wish I could write such nice things about my father. Ah, well, luck of the draw, I suppose. All of us at the Rott thank you for your service to our country in one of the most critical wars of our short history. God bless. I hope you have many more happy, healthy years ahead of you.
Posted by: Ogrrre | May 21, 2008 at 10:10 PM
A very happy birthday, Kat's dad, and I hope you're around to celebrate many more! 90 years young, an accomplishment in and of itself, sir. And thank you, sir, for your service to our country and for raising such a wonderful daughter. I salute you.
Posted by: LC Steve, KotE | May 21, 2008 at 10:14 PM
The mark of a real man is the quality of the children he has raised. You must be one heck of a fellow sir.
Happy Birthday!
Posted by: GM Roper | May 21, 2008 at 10:21 PM
Thank you sir. You are an inspiration to us all. And you look great as a cartoon!!!!
Posted by: Jane | May 21, 2008 at 10:39 PM
Happy Birthday to you, sir, and wishes for many more :)
Posted by: rnman99 | May 21, 2008 at 10:43 PM
Happy Birthday Sir! Thank you for your service to your country and for the fine way you've lived amongst us and raised such a lovely daughter. You are an inspiration to us all.
Posted by: Michael | May 21, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Happy birthday!
Posted by: Chris Muir | May 21, 2008 at 10:54 PM
Happy Birthday, Sir. And Many More.
And from a grateful nation, Thank You for your service.
I would hope that you could make a record your experiences during WWII, because you are a living history book. While the popular media may not put much stock in things like that, hundreds of thousands of Americans can't get enough of the stories, good and bad, of the greatest struggle of the 20th Century.
And a story never told, is a story forever lost.
My Dad, a career Navy HM1, with two tours in 'Nam and Purple Hearts earned from wounds while caring for his Marines, only spoke of his wartime experience while "Well Lubricated".
Even then, I still hung on every word and yearned for more. Not from a desire for spectacle, but from a desire for the straight poop from someone who had "Been There And Done That."
Posted by: FORGER | May 21, 2008 at 11:06 PM
Have a WONDERFUL birthday, Mr. 9-0! Kick back and let everyone take care of you - you've earned it!
Posted by: Merri | May 21, 2008 at 11:23 PM
Happy Birthday sir!
Others have expressed my thoughts much more eloquently than I could.
Thank you for your service and here's hoping for a joyful day as you celebrate.
Posted by: LC Randy | May 21, 2008 at 11:36 PM
A most Imperial Happy Birthday to Daddy-O, who did a great job. I may not know him, but I do know YOU. Q.E.D.
And nine-oh... Wow!
Here's to many, many more!
Posted by: Misha I | May 21, 2008 at 11:46 PM
Happy Birthday to a marvelous man! Thank you for all you have done and achieved. I'm a Navy brat myself, and my grandfather was a Navy pilot in WWII...but not able to fly combat because of bad teeth. He told them he wanted to 'fight the ba$tard$, not bite them'. Y'all have a spirit and love for our country that is an inspiration to so many of us.
Enjoy a wonderful birthday!
Posted by: Mrs. Who | May 21, 2008 at 11:59 PM
Happy Birthday from one old Sailor to another!
Posted by: Larry | May 22, 2008 at 01:39 AM
Best Wishes from Chicago! Now there's a reason for a beer!
Happy Birthday!
Posted by: Mope | May 22, 2008 at 07:55 AM
Happy Birthday! My parents, both deceased, were born in 1918 and 1919, and knew your life story as they lived it too.
Congratulations on a life well lived.
I met your daughter at a Virginia bloggers conference last Summer. If she is your pride and joy then you have much pride and great joy.
Best wishes and may the Lord Bless and Keep you and yours.
Posted by: James Atticus Bowden | May 22, 2008 at 08:56 AM
Chris Muir is all class.
Posted by: c.a. Marks | May 22, 2008 at 09:04 AM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KAT'S DAD!
You are so blessed, Kat, to still have your father living. I lost my Dad over 10 years ago. I still miss him every day. So, enjoy every minute you have with your Dad. Time is precious in every sense.
Posted by: Always On Watch | May 22, 2008 at 09:10 AM
Happy Birthday, Sir, from my father and myself. Thank you for your service, and for having raised a good family. You have carried this country onwards.
Posted by: Sebastian | May 22, 2008 at 10:06 AM
Happy Birthday, and thank you for your service, sir. It's always an honor to have an opportunity to thank the Greatest Generation for what they did for us all.
Posted by: Stargazer | May 22, 2008 at 10:18 AM
Happy Birthday, Uncle Harlan! You take such a special part in all of our lives. Thank you for always providing us with smiles and hugs! -Eric
Posted by: Eric Halsey | May 22, 2008 at 01:46 PM
Happy Birthday!
May the road rise up to greet you and the wind be always at your back. May the Lord keep you and hold you. May you be an hour in heaven before the devil knows you're gone.
Posted by: NevadaDailySteve | May 22, 2008 at 05:54 PM
Happy 90th Birthday to Kat's Daddy and many more.
Posted by: Crystal Clear Conservative | May 22, 2008 at 09:22 PM
Happy Birthday Kat's Daddy!
Posted by: MO | May 24, 2008 at 12:41 PM
Aloha and a very very Happy Bday to your dadddy!! A bit late but the thoughts just even sweeter! Hope it was great!
Posted by: Crystal Clear | May 26, 2008 at 02:35 AM
I hope you had a wonderful birthday, sir. May God grant you many more, surrounded by the love of family and friends.
Posted by: c. dickson | May 26, 2008 at 04:08 PM