A Special Man

I found out that Hap Sr. continued to write Dad’s paycheck out and gave it to my mom. He did this until everything was worked out with Social Security so that she would have money to pay her bills. We always had a special relationship with Hap Sr.; he was always there for us. I cannot even imagine the feeling he had to live with, having told them to go in the water because the boat might sink, then making it back to the dock with the one boat. It truly must have been horrible, but we never held it against him. For it truly was an accident. My dad lived a lot longer than he had ever planned; he loved my mom and us, his three children. Sometimes it is hard to handle what life has to offer, but somehow we get through it, with God’s help. Going through my life— graduating high school, getting married, having our children —Hap was always there for us. Even my oldest son, Brian, told me Hap Jr. said that his dad, Hap Sr., always had a special spot in his heart for all of us.

There was a day when I was talking to Hap Jr. about what had happened to Earl. He told me how hard that day stayed in his dad’s head all his life. He told his son that he could never do enough for Dot. Until the day he died, he did just that: anything Mom needed, he had her back. It was nice talking to Hap Jr. that day, for it was a very hard day for me. It was the day of my mom’s funeral. There will be more on this later on in the story.

My dad, the fireman, was more than that at this time. He was the newly elected chief, set to take over after the commissioners meeting, which happened while he was missing. So I was told that everyone on the island who was able to go to the beach to help did. But this is the island I have grown to love. When I was growing up, everyone looked out for each other. My dad was a great man, and everyone who knew him liked him.

My cousin Earl was born the year my dad died, and the family honored my dad by naming their son Earl after him.