On this Father's Day of 2011, I hold the memory of my Dad so very near to my heart and even now, twelve years after his passing I miss him every day. My Dad was one of the truly special people in the world and a great Dad to his three children. Even now as I will soon near 60, my oldest brother nears 75 and we have lost one sibling...I look back and we were blessed and given the greatest gift of all, our Dad.
Frederick Dale Coleman
born March 9, 1914 in Broken Bow, Nebraska
married Irene Dorothy Moore- March 20, 1936- Alliance, Nebraska and lived his life, worked and raised his children in Alliance, Nebraska
died Oct 5, 1998 in Denver, Colorado
buried in Alliance Cemetery- Alliance, Nebraska
Daddy was of course special to each one of us in our own way but to all three of us he taught the greatest things in life. We learned to love the outdoors and nature, our love of hunting and fishing and the respect for our natural world, those things all came from our Dad. He saw them all with eyes of wonder and a heart full of love for what was around him. His lessons about history, loving our country, learning about it's past and protecting it's future were all precious to us and imparted to us that same ability to hopefully pass that love of history and country down to our own children and grandchildren. My brothers and I were so very fortunate that our Dad gave to us all those treasures as nothing could have been a better legacy. We were loved and we were taught to love and respect our family, our Mom and ourselves.
Dad was a man of so many talents and a love for life, yet his first priority was always his wife and children.
His talents, skills and loves were many:
-Dad worked in his youth a a motorcycle delivery man with his own business
-house and interior painter as a young man, learning from his father-in-law
-raced motorcycles for years, and rode the first motorcycle to the top of the highest point in the Black Hills in the 1930's
-toured with a motorcycle for nearly 70 years, often with Mom or me along for the ride
-he was an artist and painter all his life
-Dad made beautiful hand tooled leather goods which he enjoyed as a lifelong hobby
-he was a hunter and avid fisherman from the time of his youth and taught his children to follow in his footsteps
-The family went along on hundreds of fishing and camping trips and learned the history of the mountain man with Dad as we attended many a re-enacted rendezvous
-we all learned to make things with our hands and do repairs if necessary, Dad was always there to encourage the job
-he played the violin and the banjo with great joy
-collecting western art, coins, firearms, and banjos kept him busy in his spare time, his own private hobby room was filled with the things he loved to collect
-learning history was always foremost in his love of reading, he treasured any book that he was given and read them all
-he tinkered with photography, leaving behind several thousand slides and he and mom kept many albums of photos
-he even tried his hand at wine making...many years ago
-he was great to help Mom with the yard work and weed killing, even though the occasional flower bed also bit the dust
-Dad loved all his grandchildren and followed their lives with enthusiasm as to sports, band etc and even though he could not be there for all the events, he followed with enthusiasm
-pride and upkeep of his home, vehicles, motorcycles, and campers taught his children to appreciate what they had later on
-my dad was a hardworking conductor on the Railroad for nearly 50 years, and well respected by all his friends and fellow workers
-his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.... and my Mom, those were his greatest treasures
-Mom was the love of his life..for almost 70 years, including 63 years of a loving marriage
These are but a few of the special attributes and loves of my Dad, it would take volumes and much better words than I can write to truly impart what a great Dad he was and how much he was loved and is missed on this Father's Day of 2011.
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| Freddie Coleman, my Dad, with his painting, 1957 |
At the early age of not quite five years old, my Dad painted a picture for me which I count as my most prized possession. It says: "to Cheri by Dad 1957" and it has hung in a place of honor in my home for 40 years now as it did in my own bedroom at home all the years of my youth. I love looking at the American Indian lady as much today as I did many years ago...because she carries within her eyes the love from my Dad. ♥
