Once upon a time, four score and twelve years ago, there was a child born to Hallie and Walter, in Tipton, Indiana. This child was one of many to be born from the love of those two great people. But this story is about him, because I knew him very well.

This young man, who was no bigger than a large bag of potatoes, was none the less one of the toughest youngsters in that town. At an early age in his life ,and only with an  8th grade education,  he was doing the jobs of men who were bigger and stronger than him, but he held up his end of any job he was put on. But as time went by, he wanted to branch out on his own, and so he took off for the big city of Kokomo.

 At a time when work was not too easy to find, he would take any work possible to keep him going, until the big secure job came open. While hunting for work, he met a young lady named Lucille, who he fell in love with right away. He was seventeen and she was sixteen. They courted each other for one year and then they decided to get hitched, and live the rest of their lives together. In the time that they were married, there were fourteen angels born to them, seven boys and seven girls. This father from the first day gave his whole life to his family and the places where he worked were The Hoosier Iron Works, The Globe American, and Continental Steel Corp..

His children didn't get to see him much, because he was always out working somewhere, trying to make enough money to feed and house his family. He would work all hours of the day, and as many days in the week that they would let him. As the kids grew up, it was their mother who was close by to tend to them and to protect them from harm.

When this man was home, he was usually resting, or he was out doing the chores that were needed to be done. As the children grew up, they were expected to take over doing those chores and to help their mother in any way that they could. Of course as kids grow up, they start getting independent and they rebell when they are told to do something. Where this man was concerned, he only told you once, and he expected that chore to be done ,when he got home. There were times when the kids would think that this man, who was their father, was about the meanest man around. But as time went by, there was more time to spend with their father, and he would sometimes have time to go play some games with them. But his main goal in life was to do for his family and if it meant being away from his children, so be it.

I started working with this man after I got out of high school, and went to work at the steel mill. That was when I saw a different person than the one that I had known for eighteen years. I saw the kind of work that he did and how much danger there was in the job that he did. I saw why this man was tired all the time. I saw what this man was really made of. I saw how dedicated he was to his job, and I saw why he was liked so much by his friends and co-workers.

Many times, I saw this man climb way up on the towers to just change a big flood light. I saw him walk across icy runways to fix the overhead cranes, so that the department could keep working. He did this because it was his job, and he needed it to maintain the family that was depending on him . In all the time that he and I worked together, I never heard him complain about his duties. Up until the last few years, I never knew him to take a vacation or to take time off sick. Eventually over the years, this finally took him down and in the last few years, his legs slowly gave way and he had to retire and rest his weary body, until it was time for the Great Father to call him home. He always said that when it came that time, he hoped that it would be at home and in his sleep. As it was in the beginning of their life together, it was just the two of them together when that time came.

Here was a man who gave of himself and asked for nothing in return. Here was a father who wanted for his family and not for himself. Here was a man who never attended church, yet he believed  in GOD, and he tried to do what he knew GOD wanted of him. I write this story about this man because I knew him. He was my best friend, and he was my father. His name was Roscoe Raymond Day, but most people knew him as "Dink". They celebrate "Father's Day" once a year, but in my heart, everyday is my Father's day.

 As with all fathers in the old days, their duty was with the family and I think that he did one heck of a job. And as time goes by, I remember all the things that he told us about life, and what to expect of it. The things that we thought were silly when we were young have slowly come to light, and what he tried to say to prepare us, have come true. It is really remarkable to find out after all these years, that Dad knew what he was talking about. "I LOVE YOU, DAD.

And to all those out there that still have your dad here, thank GOD for that and for all those who's fathers have gone home to be with The Great Father, thank God for that too.

Ray "Uncle Ray" Day