In the three weeks between his cancer diagnosis and his quiet passing, Alison Tedford had the opportunity to reflect on her Papa, his character, and the many things that he taught her.
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“I just want the love to last forever.”
That’s what my Papa said when he was asked if he recognized his wife and knew that she loved him. His last days were slipping away and those eight words encapsulated who he was and how he lived for 86 years.
He taught me a lot.
Mostly, he taught me what it means to be a good man.
A good man protects his people
Always quick to rally behind us against any perceived injustice, we felt secure knowing Papa had our backs. He was a tough negotiator brokering a deal. He was direct and firm and not above raising his voice if the occasion called for it. He didn’t take anything lying down; he always stood his ground. He was the fiercely protective patriarch of our clan.
He spent most of my formative years waiting in the car for me to leave places, having been assigned to ensure my safe return. In my mind, that’s what Papas did, made sure you got where you needed to go and back in one piece.
A good man listens
When he wasn’t leaping to our defense, he was a man of few words. He would just sit and take it all in. He was thoughtful. My son declared that his Papa was a genius because he always appeared to be thinking. My son wasn’t the only one who thought Papa was gifted.
He had the gift of being present and letting you feel seen and heard. He wasn’t a rich man, but always gave generously of his time. From dance recital to baseball and hockey games, there was nowhere he wouldn’t go to witness the successes of his grandchildren.
He lived quietly so he could hear us better. He scrimped and saved his words and used them when they mattered. He would deliver a zingy one liner and delight in our surprise. It was noted he passed in the same way that he lived—quietly—without drawing undue attention to himself.
A good man respects women
He taught me to fish as a child, unaware this would one day make me a badass single mom. He didn’t let the fact that I was a girl stop him from teaching this important life skill, a hobby he enjoyed, even when we scolded him for scaring away the fish when he talked. When I taught my own son to catch his first fish, Papa cooked it up for us so it could be our dinner.
He might have seemed old fashioned, but he cheered me on in every educational and career objective I set out to overcome. I was never just a girl. I was Papa’s girl and he believed in me and was so proud of everything I achieved. I felt like I could do anything, because he thought I could. He respected me as a woman.
A relative recounted the time he was driving home in the wee hours of the morning. A scantily clad woman stumbled across the street, leading to speculation that the lady was likely a prostitute. Papa was quick to leap to her defense. He challenged assumptions made based on how she was dressed. He challenged others to respect women.
A good man isn’t afraid to be tender
Papa worked with his hands his whole life. He was practical and handy. He could do things; he was a fixer. On nights when I so desperately needed a break to just knit and talk, Papa would dutifully take my baby boy and rock him to sleep. He could always get my son to sleep, those strong hands held my baby tight. It was the strength of his gentleness that stays in my heart.
A good man is consistent
He and my grandmother had a love that lasted over half a century. They seldom spent a night apart and he took great pride in providing for her and their family. He was unwaveringly loyal. He always believed the best, persevered and never turned his back on us. He was our rock, the consistent man who never walked away.
It was these things that made losing him so hard. He protected his people. He listened. He respected women. He wasn’t afraid to be tender. He was consistent. As I sat there, watching him breathe with difficulty in the hospital bed, I could relate to all the time he spent waiting for me.
The tables had turned and I was now sitting, waiting for him. I listened to his shallow, labored breathing. I was praying on one hand he would continue, because I wasn’t ready to let go. On the other hand, I was aware of his pain and prayed he would stop. I just wanted him to get to the place he needed to be, where he was free of pain, safely.
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I’m still not ready to hang up, and I don’t want to let him go.
I’m glad he’s not in pain anymore, but I wish I could hear his voice on the phone just one more time.
Without him, the quiet is excruciating.
He just wanted the love to last forever and the way he loved us, I know that it will.
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Read more of Alison Tedford here on The Good Men Project!
And thank you for sharing this!
Photo: Olly Coffey/Flickr
I am sick and tired of women defining what men should and should not be like.
This is sexist.
“A good man listens”
No, a HUMAN BEING listens – if what you are saying MERITS listening to. Judging by this article, that is unlikely.
“He might have seemed old fashioned”
Yes he was old fashion, but that’s what I loved about this story.
I can see why his passing was so painful. The man strikes me as an icon of what men should be, the men we so seldom speak about, and what i am so glad was instilled in me, what I strive to be every day with my family.
Thank you for sharing that. I’m sure he knows how much you loved him.
Alison, what a beautiful tribute to a great man.
Wow, how unfortunate that you’ve chosen this piece to make these statements about. It has obviously been written by someone who has lost her grandfather, to cancer. He sounds, to me, like an admirable man and this is a beautiful tribute to him.
Beautiful tribute to your father Alison. Made me cry. Thanks for sharing your memories of your remarkable father. If I’m half the father to my 3 amazing children he was to you, I’ve done all right.
Thank you for your kind words 🙂 Enjoy your children 🙂
I just lost my dad recently and what you said about your dad describes mine as well. My eulogy for my dad echoes all these 5 elements you reflect on. Unfortunately I didn’t have my dad as l9ng as you had your but I certainly know the impact he is continuing to have on me and my family. Thank you for sharing this. I too would like to find a way to publicly let folks know what great man my pops is and the influence he has had on so many none more than me.