Best wishes on Father's Day

I'm thinking about my dad today on Father's Day.

Here's a photo of him taken in 1926, with family members who were important in shaping his life.

Center front is Laura Slingsby, my dad's mom. She died before I was born, so I never met her. In addiion, my grandfather Peter Slingsby died when my dad was 5 years old, so I didn't know him, too.

On the left is my aunt, Mable Taylor. I didn't know her middle name was Laura until just now, when I was looking on the Internet for the year Laura Slingsby died.

That's my dad in the back in the middle. It's not a great photo of him. I'll post a better one below. He was a handsome man and tall, 6 foot 4 inches.

Next to my dad, looking down, is my aunt Jessie McKibben. On the right is my uncle, Harry Slingsby.

My dad was a stern man. His mom and siblings were important in helping him become the man he was. The family lived in Williston, N.D., for many years. Times were tough for them after Peter died. Back then, it was much more difficult for widowed women to make their way in the world.

My Aunt Mable Taylor, helped my dad when he was a teen. He stayed with Mable and her husband Chester so he could go to highschool in Cashmere, Wash.

Here's a photo of my dad when he played on the Cashmere High School basketball team. He's the tall one in the back row.

My dad died in 1990 at age 80 from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a lymphatic system cancer. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is linked to pesticide exposure. My dad was a farmer.

I miss my dad very much. He was an important figure in my life. I got my interest in newspapers and consumerism from him.

So, if your dad is still here, be sure to take the time to be with him. You never know how much time you'll have with your parents when they begin aging.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist