The Rothlisbergers: Dad

On the Monday before Thanksgiving, I found out that my Dad passed away. Technically he's my stepdad, but he married my Mom when I was 5 so I don't even remember a time when he wasn't part of my life. I was out shopping with Jordan's Mom and sister Jonni (my kids were back at the house with Pops) when Jordan called and told me I needed to come see him at work. We were already planning to go there after we were done shopping, but he said he had something important to talk to me about and urged me to hurry. He sounded calm so I never suspected there was anything wrong. Teri and I walked outside the store to wait while Jonni finished her purchase, and my brother Matt called me. I could tell immediately that he was very upset, and he asked me if anyone had told me yet. I said I didn't know what he was talking about and he said, "they found Dad dead in his truck." My Dad is a long-haul truck driver and had evidently died of a heart attack sometime over the weekend at a truck stop in Nebraska. The manager of the truck stop noticed that his truck hadn't moved Monday morning and went to check on him, finding that he had passed away. It turns out that my Grandma had called Jordan to tell him so that he could tell me in person and I wouldn't have to find out over the phone. Unfortunately that plan didn't work. I'll never forget that moment, hearing my brother say those words and then immediately calling Jordan and just sobbing into the phone.

We flew to Idaho on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, for the funeral and were there until the following Wednesday. I debated not bringing the girls, but it was really important to my Mom that we all be there. As it turned out, it was the first time ever that all 9 of my parents' kids were together. My Dad had two kids from a previous marriage as did my Mom (myself and my brother Chris) and then they had 5 kids together. But we don't ever think of it like that. They're all my brothers and sisters. Anyway, due to various life circumstances, this was a first. Obviously, the reason for the reunion was just plain awful but it was really nice to all be together. The funeral was a fitting tribute to my dad, and I'm so grateful that there are so many wonderful people in Idaho who love my family. My mom still has three kids at home, and I struggle with not being there to help her, especially now. But I know she has so many friends there who will take care of her, and the funeral was just proof of that.

I miss my Dad. I'm not really a very emotional or sentimental person, and my Dad was never big on showing emotion or expressing his feelings. But I knew he loved me and was proud of me. I've been out of the house for 15 years now and my Dad wasn't around a whole lot when I was growing up because he had to work so hard to support all of us. At one point, he was a wildland firefighter and traveled all over the western US fighting forest fires. He was also a machinery mechanic for several years and covered a territory three hours away. So he would leave at 3 am every morning and get home around 9 pm. And of course, for the last several years he was out on the road. He tried to stop by when his routes took him close to us, including one time he was able to visit us in Memphis. I'll also never forget when Madison was a baby and he came through Provo and convinced me to take Madison with him in his truck and drive up to Idaho to surprise my Mom for a visit! Ironically, he was supposed to come visit us in AZ a couple weeks before he passed away but his truck broke down and he didn't make it. To be honest, when he told me he was coming that weekend, I was a little disappointed. It was the same weekend my Mom was coming, and I NEVER get to spend time with just my Mom since there's so many other kids. I was really looking forward to getting that time with her. I was kind of relieved when he couldn't make it. I'm pretty sure I'll live with that regret for the rest of my life. I don't think I ever really appreciated my Dad as much as I should have. Stupid hindsight. He was definitely rough around the edges and what the world would consider uneducated, and I think I sometimes didn't look past that enough. He always used to warn me about being book smart and street stupid, and he was right. I wish I had've appreciated him more. He may not have been a "great" or important man by the world's standards, but he always worked so hard for us and loved us with everything he had.

One of the biggest things I'll remember about my Dad is how much he loved my girls. He was such a softie when it came to his grandkids! He loved them so much and was always up for teasing, tickling and playing with them. My girls loved Grandpa Truck! I'm so glad they had a chance to know him, and I know he'll be waiting to play with them again someday.

We took some pictures of all of us together the morning of the funeral. While we were waiting for everyone, the photographer Brenda got these shots of Reagan and Madison and McKinley with their cousin Lincoln

These are my brothers and sisters - youngest to oldest left to right. Adam, Grace, Sam, Casey, Matt, Chris, me, Angelina and Miltie.

And this is all of us with our spouses and kids (except for miltie and angelina's, who weren't able to come). When I look at these two pictures, I'm so proud of where I come from and the legacy my parents created. Pretty impressive if you ask me

My sister in law put together a slide show for the funeral so I sent her some pictures of my Dad. Of course, they're all of him being Grandpa! This one was just this summer at my brother Chris' house