Father’s Day is usually a fun summer afternoon spent grilling, laughing at the hokey greeting cards and chilling out with our parents, siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews.

But for some, this year’s holiday on June 21 came as a harrowing reality shock. Be aware that around you, there are those who… maybe last year, or some years back, lost the man who changed their oil or soothed their broken heart.

It was strange to encounter Father’s Day without a Father. My own Dad, Douglas Manford Johnson, passed on to his beautiful eternity last August.

Continued from the June 19 edition of the Chronicle, in Part II of this story, three local residents share about their experiences processing the loss of their own fathers.

(Read Part I to the story here: Father’s Day blues)

For Tammy Parker, the memories of her Dad live on in small, meaningful ways. Her father, Richard Dennis Truesdale, passed away on Dec. 9, 2021. His weakened heart took him away after a lengthy fight with cancer and a stroke. Though he was cancer-free at the time, his girls, his grandkids, his family and friends had to say good-bye for now.

“He loved to tell stories about the old days and the way Bellefontaine used to be. Back then, the pace moved a little slower. But like so many of us, it wasn’t always easy to appreciate life in the moment. You could ask me now what most of those stories were, and I couldn’t tell you,” Tammy shared. “I was always in such a hurry. But now, I would give anything for one more story.”

As the years went on, he softened. Once known as “Grumpy Grampy” to some, he became “Pappy” to others. His grandchildren were his pride and joy, and he made time for the things that mattered most — fishing trips (even if no fish were caught), mornings filled with laughter and simple traditions that continue today - like powdered donuts.

“He was never without donuts for the grandkids, especially the powdered sugar kind,” Tammy shared with a smile.

Even after a stroke took his ability to speak, his love remained clear. A small bell he once used to keep track of a granddaughter in her walker is now a cherished keepsake. Each year on Dec. 9, the anniversary of his death, she rings it in his memory. Fittingly, his favorite movie was It’s a Wonderful Life.

“Another angel got his wings,” his daughter said.

Tammy realizes that holidays can still be the hardest. Father’s Day, birthdays, the milestones he doesn’t get to see, like the weddings and the births.

But over time, grief begins to shift.

“It doesn’t mean you’re forgetting,” she explained. “It just means you’re remembering the happy instead of the hurt.”