PatBlogahan.com

Many of you know that I lost my father last week. He was 85 and until recently, looked like he might live to a hundred.
Thank you all for your kind words and the love and condolences. My family and I really appreciate it all and it helped a great deal to know how many people cared about him and his seven kids.
My dad, Jack, was a fan of many things and many people. When we shared stories about him for several days, I realized that much of what I’m drawn to directly comes from him. For instance, I’ve always considered what I do and what professional athletes do as fun. The work part is making sure you inspire the next generation or several generations if your lucky enough to stay in the game that long. For me it’s making sure that I create the time for kids when there is no time. It’s signing a t-shirt, a baseball, a jersey, stopping everything for a picture, a quick story, a hand shake. It’s big and it means everything. So, I realized that my dad instilled those self rules in me. My job is hardly a job. It’s a privilege and even the job part is hella fun.
My dad loved Ted Williams. He was a great ball player but he loved Ted because he had impeccable manners. If the ump made a bad call while he was up to bat, he never even looked back to show his disagreement. It was a game he felt privileged to play and he played it with honor and respect.
He loved Audie Murphy. He was a war hero who was too short to be a hero but he was a brilliant warrior and a man of honor and respect.
It made me sad that it’s so hard to find a hero these days. Kids seem to look for what’s most popular or has the most YouTube hits. There are heroes out there but they’re too busy doing to take time to be noticed.
My dad lost a sister when he was very young and she was 2 years old. And he lost his mom when he was just 12. He loved the underdog. And when the underdog became the champ, he loved him even more if he was a gentleman.
He loved Rocky Graziano. He loved Fred Astaire. He loved dressing up and looking great every day. We all laughed and called him a ham or vain but the truth is he thought it made sense to look your best and be a gentleman.
He didn’t die being a hero to millions. He just represented a great generation with honor and respect. He was in WW2 and he had seven kids and worked hard to just get through it all. He was always kind hearted and always made time for people. He was Erie, PA’s greatest entertainer and I learned a lot from him.
He was an underdog and he outlasted most of the people he knew in his life.
He won some and lost some but he always fought a clean fight. He was a pretty great movie and I’m going to miss him.
I understand the romance of it all though, as he did. A great story has to have an end. The greatest love story in history ends with them both dying. It’s all romance when you think of it.
I will do my best to take the great parts of Jack down the road with me and apply them to my own life. My kids will miss out on some great laughs but I’ll try to retell the stories I recall.
Through all of his ups and downs he always had a smile. He played a great game and at his last at bat he stood at the plate and took the last strike like a gentleman. I love you, dad.

Love, Pat