Happy Birthday Dad

So my sweet Dad was born June 9, 1927 and would 82 years old today.

This was our favorite dog ~ Heinrich Von Bon, Jr. Of course having ancestors from Germany, we had to have a Dachshund. Heine loved Dad. He would wait for him near the top of a hill by our house about the time Dad would be coming home from work. Dad would open the door and Heinrich would jump up into his truck and take a seat right beside him. Notice the toothpick Dad put in his mouth! Heine loved to chase antelope and the horses. He would run after the horses, bite on to their tails and be drug all over the field for as long as he could hang on. True story ~ I saw it with my own eyes!

This is picture of Dad's beloved horse Fly Baby. She was a beautiful Buckskin. Fly Baby had many colts and they all got bug names such as Butterfly, Horsefly and Mosquito (Skeeter for short). I know ... how funny. Butterfly was so loving. She would follow you around like a dog and put her nose in your ear and face.

This may also be hard to believe but we had a pet antelope. He wandered into the yard one day and just hung around for several months. Yessiree this is Andy the Antelope. That's my big bother Kenny standing by Dad.

Dad, with his family ~ brothers Dale, Marion, Clarence, Dad, and his sister Bernice ~ his sister Kay, parents Edna and Theodore and brother Carl. His brother Ernest died when he was a baby and Marion was killed in World War II.

We loved it when Dad came to

visit us after we moved to Utah.

We still lived in Cheyenne when this picture was taken. A visit from Grandpa Federer was always a treat!!

Dad with his girls ~ Roseanne and Eileen

... And with his boys,

Lloyd, Kenny, Marion, and Ernie. We remember my brother's

Les and Kevin who passed away.

Dad worked so darn hard his whole life. He was a master craftsman in masonry and laid thousands of brick. After working all day, he would go home and take care of our farm and help his parents with their ranch.

Dad loved a beautiful garden and it was no small thing to get things to grow in Wyoming. For so many reasons I miss him. I have many happy memories. One of my favorite memories of Dad was when I was a little girl. My hair was always very long. When it was time for dinner he would walk by me and before sitting down would take my hair in his hands, pulling it up into a ponytail then sit down to eat. Dad honored his parents, was patient and always gave others the benefit of the doubt. He loved serving others and did that his entire life. So I imagine that for his birthday dinner today, Grandma Federer will make fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy. And her mouth-watering rolls, topped off with a strawberry rhubarb pie! Happy Birthday Dad.