Roberto Castañón Sr.
April 5th 1928 – May 22 2011
I wrote a tribute to my mother when she passed, but I was so preoccupied in my deep thoughts with the loss of my brother and mother, that my father somehow got tossed aside in my sub conscious. How could I have done that?
Here is a man who I owe everything in life to. He is the man who set me on the path of self-righteousness. So as I sit here thinking about my father, I knew that it was time for me to write a tribute to my father and post it on my blog.So here I am thinking. How can I say a few words that will do justice to all of the years of love, morale values and strength that my father gave me? Then I realized, that the best tribute I could give my father would be by emulating the actions of his life. This would be the true testament to the love and lessons that he has taught me in life.
My father was a proud man. He was an innovator and a motivator. As an immigrant from Mexico he came here with one thing on his mind. To succeed. He had a drive that was not going to let him fail. He never accepted a handout. He had the ambition to succeed here in the Unites States all on his own.He crossed the river, met my Mom, got married and left for Chicago to work in the steel mills. He was self-taught in the art of auto collision repair that very few man could rival. He started his own successful business that still continues today to be in it existence. Quite an accomplishment for a man who literally came here with nothing but the clothes on his back. A true immigrant success story.
I remember as a child my father waking us up in the middle of the night to feed us, because sometimes we would go to bed with nothing to eat. He always found away. We were poor but he always kept cloths on our back and food in our mouths. He put us on the right path and always taught us right from wrong. As I reflect and think of my father, I think of all of the good times he gave each one of us. I always try and relate all of the simple and happy things that he brought to our family and friends. Till this day I continue to tell his stories and how they affected my life.
Now as an adult I hope I can relate some of the simple and happy things that my father brought to my family and friends. I thank him for an understanding and appreciation of the value of fatherhood that he instilled in me. I am now fortunate in life to be able to pass this down on to my children, which is the value of “good old fashion parenting” and what it should be.The memories of my father will never be forgotten, as they are thousands of them. These are my personal possessions to enjoy and never forget. Man, I was so blessed to have him as my father for the wonderful life he gave me. There was never a lot of money, but one thing for sure, we were never short on love.
Thank you dad for working two jobs. Thank you for embarrassing me. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for making me cry. Thank you for telling me you love me. Thank you for showing me how to stand up for myself. Thank you for showing me the importance of an education. Thank you for showing me right from wrong. Thank you for me making me a man of integrity. And dad, thank you for always forgiving me unconditionally.
I Love You Dad
Robert Castañon Jr
Comments