Gone Fishing! A Father’s Day Remembrance
There used to be a program that came on TV called Gone Fishing. This television show had my Dad down pat.
The song that went with the television sitcom said “Gone fishing, instead of just a wishing.”
Many people have hobbies and the one I remember the most is my Dad’s love for fishing. Dad used to go fishing early on Saturday mornings and not return until late in the evenings. When I say early, I’m speaking of 4:00 a.m. and when I say evenings I’m speaking of 3 or 4:00 p.m. He and a friend of his would gather together all of their fishing equipment the night before so they could be out on the water by 5:00 a.m. My Dad’s friend was the one with the boat so he would come over just in time for Dad to load up and they would head off down to the river. In Alabama the river was the Tennessee River.
After I married and moved away from home, the one thing my husband would do is go fishing with my Dad. I always thought this was a great time for my Dad and my husband to bond together because Dad only had girls. This way there was also male bonding. It was not a hardship for my husband because he loved to fish too. That was always one of the things my husband looked forward to when we would visit my Mom and Dad.
Dad became so well known for fishing at his favorite fishing spot that the Huntsville Times Dispatch newspaper took a picture of him sitting on the river bank with his fishing pole and his umbrella. The reporter who wrote the article was Michael Mercier. That was my Da
d, come rain or shine he would be there at the same fishing spot. Everyone knew him as “Brooks” (Otis L. Brooks, Jr.). As a matter of fact, Dad would make sure he had enough fish (catfish which is my favorite) on hand so when we came to visit, I would do a big fish fry. It became one of our family’s great gatherings. A Saturday fish fry for Mom, Dad and us three girls along with all of our children and our spouses.
Dad was so good at catching fish that he and my husband would see who could catch the most. Out of all the times they went fishing together, my husband only beat him once in catching the biggest fish.
Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer in November, 2010. The doctor gave him eight months to live. Dad rejected any kind of treatment and he said if he only had eight months he did not want to spend it in the hospital. Dad lived two years longer than expected and was able to celebrate his 90th birthday (2/22) with over 75 family members and friends in attendance. My Dad died in a peaceful sleep in his home on a Sunday morning, June 30, 2013.
Do you have a favorite hobby? Let us know about it.
By Rita McCulloch
Rita McCulloch is a mid generation Boomer who saw change and turmoil happen all around her from a vantage point as a young African American woman growing up in Huntsville, Alabama. Yet her focus was on family, community, church and helping others. She began helping seniors with their personal and financial needs as a volunteer while raising her family. She then founded a business, Boomer3Solutions, through which she helps educate, organize, and prepare families for their golden age years and minimize the stress that can be related to caregiving. Rita brings to Boomer Connections a strong background in elder care concerns and the many decisions facing their Boomer family members.
A beautiful memory and story.