I miss my dad
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Yesterday I got that call that I knew would happen someday, but could never prepare for. My father had passed.
Dad was always supportive of my passion for cartooning. When I was still in high school he became good friends with a zen master – Rev. Don Gilbert. Rev. Gilbert was as a magazine cartoonist in his earlier days and later wrote and illustrated books on zen humor in the latter. Dad introduced me to Rev. Gilbert who turned into my first mentor. Rev. Gilbert took me to the art supply store and went up and down the isles buying me pens, nibs, ink, brushes, paper, a reducing glass – much of this stuff I still have. He told me I’d have to ink the equivalent to a football field before I could say I was a master of inking.
Here’s dad (right) with Rev. Gilbert (left). Please excuse the quality – I’m taking photos with my phone of photos dad has on his office walls.
Years ago I started developing a panel cartoon. As an attorney, I thought dad would appreciate the humor of this cartoon (below), so I gave the original to him for Christmas. I was happy to see yesterday that he still displayed the original in a frame in his home office.
He was 75 years old. Much too young in my opinion.
I’m stepping away from the blog for the next few days to be with family. Please call your loved one and let them know you love them. I was in a meeting the last time my dad tried to call me and I let it go to voice mail. There was no way I could have known it could have been the last conversation we’d have. I’m trying not to beat myself up about it, but what I wouldn’t give to pick up the phone and hear his voice. One last time.
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