Rutledge Family Line
My Daddy
Wally was the 2nd son of Gladys and Gordon.
My Dad was a typical young boy growing up in the 30/40s - he only went to school til Grade 9, but as he grew, he got world smarts.
I think one of the best stories I every heard about my Dad was the "How the Rabbits Got in Central Park" It was during the depression that my Dad wanted to help his family, so he got a couple of rabbits. He went on to breed them and when he had a dozen or so, he took them to the local butcher. In his mind, he thought he might get a few dollars as well as bring home a rabbit for his Mom to cook for dinner. He got there, talked with the butcher who agreed to buy the rabbits BUT my Dad had to kill and clean them before the butcher would take them.
Can you guess what happened next?? My Dad - a future Golden Gloves Boxer -- took his rabbits and released them into Central Park -- he just couldn't kill them.
But time went on, and about 1952, he met the love of his life and he and my Mom were married in 1953 - he was just 21 and she 19. They are still together all these years later.
Our family was 5 - Dad, Mom, my sister, brother and then me -- the baby.
Dad was a Pie Maker, a bartender, waiter and a truck driver. He took us camping, fishing, taught us to ride bikes.
He put up with all the troubles that comes with having teenagers, and even after we were no longer teenagers, he has always been that 1 steady in my life -- I could totally screw up and he was still there.
He had to retire at an early age due to back problems but he still remained active. For years, he & Mom went camping and fishing with a group of Truck Driver friends. And along with them was always our dog, Lucas.
I think Dad's greatest joy was being a Grandfather to 5 girls. He would joke he was the only old man with 5 bikini babes around his pool. To them, he was Pa and eventually he became Pa to all of us.
He was such a kind and helping man -- his neighbours were always helping out him and he them. He became a 2nd Father to Brad, his neighbour when he lost his own father.
But I think that in the end, his greatest joy was the birth last year of his 1st Great-Granddaughter. He laughed that he was not to have grandsons - all girls.
Pa did not want a funeral service - he said he didn't want us to stand around and cry. He will be cremated and his ashes will be spread at a later date.
We will have a Celebration of his Life as he would want.
My Dad -- the only man I will ever love!!!
My Daddy
Wally was the 2nd son of Gladys and Gordon.
My Dad was a typical young boy growing up in the 30/40s - he only went to school til Grade 9, but as he grew, he got world smarts.
I think one of the best stories I every heard about my Dad was the "How the Rabbits Got in Central Park" It was during the depression that my Dad wanted to help his family, so he got a couple of rabbits. He went on to breed them and when he had a dozen or so, he took them to the local butcher. In his mind, he thought he might get a few dollars as well as bring home a rabbit for his Mom to cook for dinner. He got there, talked with the butcher who agreed to buy the rabbits BUT my Dad had to kill and clean them before the butcher would take them.
Can you guess what happened next?? My Dad - a future Golden Gloves Boxer -- took his rabbits and released them into Central Park -- he just couldn't kill them.
But time went on, and about 1952, he met the love of his life and he and my Mom were married in 1953 - he was just 21 and she 19. They are still together all these years later.
Our family was 5 - Dad, Mom, my sister, brother and then me -- the baby.
Dad was a Pie Maker, a bartender, waiter and a truck driver. He took us camping, fishing, taught us to ride bikes.
He put up with all the troubles that comes with having teenagers, and even after we were no longer teenagers, he has always been that 1 steady in my life -- I could totally screw up and he was still there.
He had to retire at an early age due to back problems but he still remained active. For years, he & Mom went camping and fishing with a group of Truck Driver friends. And along with them was always our dog, Lucas.
I think Dad's greatest joy was being a Grandfather to 5 girls. He would joke he was the only old man with 5 bikini babes around his pool. To them, he was Pa and eventually he became Pa to all of us.
He was such a kind and helping man -- his neighbours were always helping out him and he them. He became a 2nd Father to Brad, his neighbour when he lost his own father.
But I think that in the end, his greatest joy was the birth last year of his 1st Great-Granddaughter. He laughed that he was not to have grandsons - all girls.
Pa did not want a funeral service - he said he didn't want us to stand around and cry. He will be cremated and his ashes will be spread at a later date.
We will have a Celebration of his Life as he would want.
My Dad -- the only man I will ever love!!!
Rutledge Family Line
My Daddy
Wally was the 2nd son of Gladys and Gordon.
My Dad was a typical young boy growing up in the 30/40s - he only went to school til Grade 9, but as he grew, he got world smarts.
I think one of the best stories I every heard about my Dad was the "How the Rabbits Got in Central Park" It was during the depression that my Dad wanted to help his family, so he got a couple of rabbits. He went on to breed them and when he had a dozen or so, he took them to the local butcher. In his mind, he thought he might get a few dollars as well as bring home a rabbit for his Mom to cook for dinner. He got there, talked with the butcher who agreed to buy the rabbits BUT my Dad had to kill and clean them before the butcher would take them.
Can you guess what happened next?? My Dad - a future Golden Gloves Boxer -- took his rabbits and released them into Central Park -- he just couldn't kill them.
But time went on, and about 1952, he met the love of his life and he and my Mom were married in 1953 - he was just 21 and she 19. They are still together all these years later.
Our family was 5 - Dad, Mom, my sister, brother and then me -- the baby.
Dad was a Pie Maker, a bartender, waiter and a truck driver. He took us camping, fishing, taught us to ride bikes.
He put up with all the troubles that comes with having teenagers, and even after we were no longer teenagers, he has always been that 1 steady in my life -- I could totally screw up and he was still there.
He had to retire at an early age due to back problems but he still remained active. For years, he & Mom went camping and fishing with a group of Truck Driver friends. And along with them was always our dog, Lucas.
I think Dad's greatest joy was being a Grandfather to 5 girls. He would joke he was the only old man with 5 bikini babes around his pool. To them, he was Pa and eventually he became Pa to all of us.
He was such a kind and helping man -- his neighbours were always helping out him and he them. He became a 2nd Father to Brad, his neighbour when he lost his own father.
But I think that in the end, his greatest joy was the birth last year of his 1st Great-Granddaughter. He laughed that he was not to have grandsons - all girls.
Pa did not want a funeral service - he said he didn't want us to stand around and cry. He will be cremated and his ashes will be spread at a later date.
We will have a Celebration of his Life as he would want.
My Dad -- the only man I will ever love!!!
My Daddy
Wally was the 2nd son of Gladys and Gordon.
My Dad was a typical young boy growing up in the 30/40s - he only went to school til Grade 9, but as he grew, he got world smarts.
I think one of the best stories I every heard about my Dad was the "How the Rabbits Got in Central Park" It was during the depression that my Dad wanted to help his family, so he got a couple of rabbits. He went on to breed them and when he had a dozen or so, he took them to the local butcher. In his mind, he thought he might get a few dollars as well as bring home a rabbit for his Mom to cook for dinner. He got there, talked with the butcher who agreed to buy the rabbits BUT my Dad had to kill and clean them before the butcher would take them.
Can you guess what happened next?? My Dad - a future Golden Gloves Boxer -- took his rabbits and released them into Central Park -- he just couldn't kill them.
But time went on, and about 1952, he met the love of his life and he and my Mom were married in 1953 - he was just 21 and she 19. They are still together all these years later.
Our family was 5 - Dad, Mom, my sister, brother and then me -- the baby.
Dad was a Pie Maker, a bartender, waiter and a truck driver. He took us camping, fishing, taught us to ride bikes.
He put up with all the troubles that comes with having teenagers, and even after we were no longer teenagers, he has always been that 1 steady in my life -- I could totally screw up and he was still there.
He had to retire at an early age due to back problems but he still remained active. For years, he & Mom went camping and fishing with a group of Truck Driver friends. And along with them was always our dog, Lucas.
I think Dad's greatest joy was being a Grandfather to 5 girls. He would joke he was the only old man with 5 bikini babes around his pool. To them, he was Pa and eventually he became Pa to all of us.
He was such a kind and helping man -- his neighbours were always helping out him and he them. He became a 2nd Father to Brad, his neighbour when he lost his own father.
But I think that in the end, his greatest joy was the birth last year of his 1st Great-Granddaughter. He laughed that he was not to have grandsons - all girls.
Pa did not want a funeral service - he said he didn't want us to stand around and cry. He will be cremated and his ashes will be spread at a later date.
We will have a Celebration of his Life as he would want.
My Dad -- the only man I will ever love!!!
