Remembering Daddy

Lewis Hoxie, Jr. was born 102 years ago today, in his home on Detering Street just off what is now Memorial Drive.  At the time of his birth, his maternal grandfather, Anthony Gonder, owned acreage in that area, now priced well beyond my ability to pay.  I think of my father often.  Even though he died when I was 14 years old, he left a lot of himself in me.

For my short stint with Daddy, he was self-employed.  He rented a lot on Telephone Road near the Gulf Freeway (just north of the railroad track, next to Manning Machine Shop).  He sold soils, fertilizers and sand.

As I wrote "He sold soils, fertilizers and sand" I remember that I wrote of my father in my never-completed series REAL DADS OF THE DARKER NATION, so I went back to my archives and found the article, coincidentally published on November 5, 2008.  Rather than repeat myself here, I commend the reader to that blog.  [I've always wanted to "commend" someone to a writing -- it's what lawyers do when they're supposed to be presenting in those much-too pricey continuing legal education courses that are required for lawyers and board certified paralegals.  I've often wondered, why stand in front of me, all motor-mouthed, if all you're going to do is "commend" me to the paper?  Anyway, back to Daddy.

Stuff my Daddy taught me:

- If you see something that's not right, it's your responsibility to fix it, and if you can't, make the situation known so that it can be fixed.

- If you're big enough to invite someone to "whatever", you'd better be big enough to pick up the tab.

- If you want to eat, go to work.  Daddy once "floored" a guy who announced to my father that he was "retiring" and "going on welfare."

- Don't talk ugly around the children (especially his).  Daddy once jumped a fence after asking a guy next door to hold down the foul language because his kids were playing outside.  The guy's response was more vituperative utterings, so Daddy jumped the fence and belted him.

- Prayer meeting is not just for when we're at church.  So we had prayer at home -- the whole famn damily.

- A man can only take so much.  A woman, too.

One of the great things about being a daughter of Lewis Hoxie, Jr., was being able to roam the neighborhood freely and not be bothered by anyone.   Just the suggestion that I might tell my daddy was sufficient for the biggest neighborhood bully to leave me alone.  Daddy wasn't as tall as my mom (and she was 5'8" back then), but he was stocky and as solid as a brick wall.

Was my Daddy perfect?  Absolutely not!  But he was my Daddy.  He is still my Daddy.  And even 40 years, 9 months and 1 week after his death, I still think of him.