A Father's Legacy

The following was my tribute to my father at his funeral in June 2007:

As I consider my own mortality, I ask myself, “What will be my legacy?” What will people think of when they think of me? That is important to me, as I think it is for most people. In light of losing the most important man in my life, I am proud of the legacy he leaves behind.

I often hear that my dad was proud of his three boys. He saw us as successful. We are a vice-president of a leading sports architecture firm, a vice-president of a leading car rental agency, and a director of global sales for the number 6 company on the Fortune 500 list. But my dad never defined success by a title, or by wealth, or by social status and prominence. His idea of success was defined by character, by family, and by faith. You have heard that my dad was a man of character and of strong work ethic. He embodied the definition of these words and concepts. His words and actions were defined by what is morally right. Anything less than this by the three of us was unacceptable. Although he did not write the golden rule, he definitely lived it. This is his legacy to us, as was his expectation that we will pass this on to the next generation, his grandchildren.

Another important part of his legacy is financial security. He lived his entire life not for the present, but for the future. He knew the importance of fiscal responsibility and for having a secure future. He taught this to me in many ways, including, in the early years of my youth, K-Mart tennis shoes and Sear’s Toughskin jeans instead of Nike’s and Levi’s. For years I have joked about this, and probably always will. But I now know that my mother will live the rest of her life without having to worry about money. She can live comfortably, and enjoy an extravagance or two, and know she is taken care of. I know that is something that the three of us are extremely grateful for.

A man can be defined by his legacy. My father is defined by character, by integrity, by a strong work ethic, by the importance of family, and by faith.

As I mentioned earlier, I have heard it said many times that our father is proud of his boys. Well Dad, your boys are proud of you as well.