What is your story?
"My name is Laura, I am from Michigan, and I will be sharing my story about losing my husband.
I’ll never forget the day he drove by in his blue car, with his maroon jacket and long hair, and he smiled at me.
From that point on, I knew he was the one for me. I can still see him in that jacket.
I was only 14 years old but we knew that we would marry each other, and we did. We got married on December 6, 1974 and we truly meant every word of our vows, we knew it would be forever. The day we found out that he had cancer was the worst day of our lives. We never knew when his time would come, but I did my best to give him the best everyday."
"My name is Francesca. I am from Michigan and will be sharing my story about my father, David.
David is my dad, my hero, my motivator, and my strength. Since I was a child I’ve always been close with my father. He was my confidant. He worked hard but loved our family harder and his love was truly something special. He showed my sister and I how a woman should be treated, honored, respected & loved by adoring our mother. He pushed us to be independent and intelligent so we could support ourselves and never be forced to rely on a man. He was passionate about helping people and serving the Lord, so he taught us to do the same."
"My name is Francisco, I am from Michigan, and I will be sharing my story about my father, David.
David is my father and no disrespect to anyone but he truly was the greatest. He knew how to love. He gave all he had to his family. He worked hard but was always at our practices and games."
"My name is Mark, I am from Michigan, and I will be sharing my story about my father.
I would need months to share my story about time spent with my dad. As I write this, many stories come to my head. Then a week from now even more stories will come to me that I wish I had shared but in the end, all my stories end up being the same. My dad was always there for me. From childhood to my adult years my dad would always call just to check in on me. Man how I miss those phone calls. Even as cancer ate at him, taking his mobility away, he would still try and fix things around my house. But that best describes my dad, he was always taking care of his children until the very end. My dad was always there for me."
"My name is Audrey, I am from Michigan, and I will be sharing my story about my dad.
My dad was a wonderful father and grandfather. He would do anything for us no matter what. Everyone would be jealous that I had a dad who would drop everything to be with his grandkids."
"My name is David, I am from Michigan, and I will be sharing my story about memories with my dad.
I remember dad as being strong, caring, thoughtful, loving and faithful. Dad loved his family. He taught me to work hard at everything in my life. Dad also taught me that family comes first no matter what. He provided all of us with the best life possible."
In one word, how would you describe/define your experience?
"Devastating would be the best word to describe the loss of my husband. An entire part of me is gone, I will never be able to live and love the same way again. The honor and love that he showed me was unparalleled. There’s no other person, place, or thing that can make me whole. I’ve lost a piece of my heart." - Laura
"In one word I would describe my story as love. My father did everything with passion and love." -Francesca
"Great. He taught me everything I know." - Francisco
"The google definition of "priceless" is: so precious that it's value cannot be determined. The time spent with my dad was priceless. What that man taught me, how much he meant to me, you can't put a price on that." - Mark
"Blessed. Blessed to have a father who was a great role model." - Audrey
"Grateful. I am so grateful to have been raised by such a wonderful man. The life lessons he has taught me are now being passed down to my children." - David
What advice would you give yourself or someone else experiencing something similar?
"I cannot give anybody advice because I don’t even have my own life together. I could give a shoulder to cry on, but I could never tell someone how to cope. It’s unbearable." - Laura
"My advice to anyone experiencing loss this extreme is to remember that person daily. Honor them by living your own life to the fullest. Own each day and remember that tomorrow is not promised. Love deeply and sincerely and sit with your feelings as often as possible. Life will never be the same but it can still be beautiful." - Francesca
"Make every second count." - Francisco
"Advice I would give to someone is that same advice my dad would give to someone. Have faith and turn to God. If you have faith and God, you can get you through anything." - Mark
"I want to be a great grandparent like he was." - Audrey
"Cherish. Cherish every moment with family because you never know how short or long it will be." - David
Hear the song "Never Gone" inspired by the loving memories of David's wife and children: Available Everywhere 10.15.21