joshuat80

Well I just received my bike on the 29th of December, and took her for a ride on December 30th. I loved it... That night I went in my Dad's bedroom and was showing it off ( he had a cold / recovering from the flu) anyways we were talking about the Hydraulic disk brakes and how smooth they were. It was an enjoyable conversation, I even was able to show him one of my Plumerias that was in bloom.
The next day I tried to go for a ride, Saddle sore and did not go very far... Came back home seen my dad had not left for work, I checked on him and he was sick and ditching work. well, then i went to work and started doing a few bills around 2 that afternoon, I called him and discussed a few things with him... every thing normal... Two hours later I get a call from my wife saying that she thought that my dad was dead.... After getting home i learned it was a Massive Heart and It happened quick and while he was watching a B rated sci-fi flick on his laptop... Earphones still in....(atleast he was enjoying himself) He was 59 years old... and this was totally unexpected... I really do miss him..

I do not write this so that i can get a bunch of I am sorrys, or anything like that... I write this because I luckily had a great relationship with my father, all things that should be said, I love you... I appreciate how you raised me.. and i appreciate the man you made me.... Those conversations were said... I still mourn for him and will always mourn for him, but I am at peace with his death... small regret is I did not happen to say I loved him that day... but it was said often enough for me to move on... I recommend everyone tell their love ones how they feel on a regular basis. It will not get rid of the pain but it can give you peace.....

On a different note.. I am almost to the 40 mile marker total on my bike with my highest ride is 9 Miles... I know I said i was going to post a pic of me and my bike... Will try to do that this coming weekend.
Sorry if this was drawn out a little and my grammar sucks.. but I just wanted to tell the story...

gjhsu

I am sorry for your loss, but am glad to know you were on such good terms with your dad.

nymtber

Great to hear your dad and you had a good relationship. No one knows when its their time. Sorry for your loss, and I wish you many happy miles on that bike! Remember your dad for who he was, and do the best to be the man he would want you to be.

Thoughts to you and your family in this time of loss. And thanks for making me jealous the closest thing I get to a bike ride this time of year is to ride the rollers! The roads are literally white from the salt used here, no place for a bike. And its cold, too..

BillinPA

My sincere condolences for your loss. That is great that you had such a great relationship with him. I miss my dad also he passed in '96.
Congrats on the new bike.

benetga

Well written-still miss my dad he passed at 57 of a massive heart attack at of places a health club. We had some good years together. I miss his advice and often think what I could of learned from him. Be comforted in your good memories.

RomansFiveEight

So sorry to hear that OP. It's pretty neat though that in his last days (even if nobody knew it was his last days), you got to show off your new bike. You're gonna make some memories on that bike!

Beachgrad05

Sorry for your loss. Not much else to say.

long john

To soon so sorry.

wmforge

My deepest condolences for your loss.

MikeRides

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss.

ragtoplvr

My dad and I had the gift of a wonderful relationship. Good on you both. I miss mine, been almost 5 years now. I will continue to miss him. You will too. Not a bad thing, just what it is.

Godspeed to your dad. He was younger than I am, I hate hearing that.

Rod

raceboy

My Dad also passed from a massive heart attack just shy of his 59th birthday. I was 22 and I finally crossed the line to become "older" than him this past year. We also always had a close and loving relationship. I can tell you that the great memories you have of him never fade and will stay in your heart forever. Pass those great stories on to your kids and he will become a part of their memories, too. I believe this is the only immortality we can achieve and it is good enough for me. Peace.

Willbird

My dad died of a massive heart attack at 46 years old, I was 22 years old then.

That leaves a mark...it is hard to not measure your life as x/46....but I am 50 now so my fraction is an improper one :-).

Bill

headloss 

Thanks for sharing a lovely story. Glad you had some good final memories with him. Condolences to you and yours. Thanks for the reminder to take this stuff seriously and make some dietary changes (not saying that was his issue, but it's my biggest risk factor), 59 is too young and I'll be there myself before I know it.

PhotoJoe 

Hey Joshua,

I'm glad to hear that you're doing (relatively) well with it all. You sound like you're in a healthy place mentally, and it's great that you have so many good memories to hang on to.

I agree with [MENTION=365243]raceboy[/MENTION], pass those stories on to your kids so his legacy can live on with them.

At 6'3" and 420 pounds, I'm glad that you're out there riding your bike. It seems that you're taking the necessary steps to make sure that your kids don't have to lose their father earlier than they should! Keep up the good work!

Pamestique 

I don't know whether to say condolences or congrats... take whether suit you best. I am glad you focus on having therelationship with your dad and not on your loss... keep riding; it will help keep your head clear...

Johnny Mullet

Sorry to hear about the loss of your dad, but seems like you had a great relationship with your father. Cherish the memories.

JackoDandy

My condolences. Your story touched me where you described your chats with your dad about bike brakes. I have similar chats with my dad on similar topics (car repair) and its not about the content but about the experience of commonality. We can shoot the breeze for hours (even though hes 76 now), and will certainly miss it when the sad day comes.

Congrats on your biking

joshuat80

Ty all for your kind words... Right now I can not wait till time changes.. longer hours means more opportunities to ride.. Keeping the mind and body busy is a good thing

ragtoplvr

That is the same therapy I have used for the loss of my dad. Bicycle and (yes it is another forum) motorcycle rides. And fixing, improving, maintaining things. I still miss him, it just gets better.

Rod

bassjones

Sorry to hear of your loss. I'm also fortunate to have had a great relationship with my dad - aside from the "stupid years" between 16 and 20 anyway. He's still with us and recently he and my mom bought TerraTrikes and started riding. He suffered a mild stroke earlier this summer but they're back out riding as of last week. He's 67 and I'm hopeful we'll have him around for a few more years since my Grandparents lived to their mid-80s and Great Grandparents to their mid-90s.

Tundra_Man 

I'm sorry. I lost my dad 3.5 years ago and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss him.

I have some friends whose relationships with their dads were so terrible that when their fathers passed away they were indifferent or even happy. I am so thankful that my dad and I had a great relationship. When I'm missing him I remind myself that I'm blessed that he was such a great father that I miss him every day. In fact when he was in hospice I joked with him that, "This would be a lot easier for me if you'd been a jerk." He understood what I meant and smiled.

I often think about him when I ride my bike. Not because he was a cyclist, but because riding gives me a lot of time to think.

indyfabz

FYI....This thread is 7 months old. And the post that resurrected it has been deleted. Hmmmmm.

bassjones

I just noticed that. You're right.

indyfabz

The post just before yours was the one that resurrected the thread and then was deleted. Same guy resurrected another old thread in this forum.