Remembering Dad

Working Mother, Oct 2009 by Evans, Carol

I have been determined not to be stricken by the death of my dad the way I was when my mom passed away. But determination only goes so far in matters of the heart, and while I have been highly functioning, I have carried a heavy weight in my chest where summer lightness might have been.

My dad, Willard Evans, was a financial executive, a passionate Republican, an ardent student of American history and a very deep thinker. He loved Shakespeare, opera, travel, sailing, camping, my mom - they shared 59 years together - and family life. Long before work/life balance became a key part of my vocabulary, my dad was a role model. He came home from his job by 5:00 p.m., and we had lively conversations at dinner every night. He always spent time with his children; I didn't know fatherhood came any other way.

We had our differences, especially as I became an adult earlier than he wanted, but we repaired the damage and enjoyed a closeness in the last 18 years that mirrored the first 18.

Three weeks before my dad passed away, our staffers Ebby Antigua and Samantha Marte also lost their fathers. I join with them in saluting our fathers and in acknowledging how much dads mean to all children- young and old, the world over.

Carol Evans, President

Working Mother Media

carolevans@workingmother.corn