My dad died last night, at the age of 84. It was a strange way for the year to end. He had been ill for a long time, and in a way, it was no surprise to anyone, and yet we were all still caught a little off guard. He was a Marine, had served on Okinawa among other places in WWII, and became a real estate broker about the time I was born. I'm not going to do an obituary for him here, but I do want to honor a man who was husband of one wife for 60 years, raised 6 kids, served his country well, and was strong in his faith in God. He'll be missed by many.

This photo was taken just a month or so ago when I went back to Michigan to visit.