I Lost My Step-Father This Weekend

I lost my step-father this weekend. He had some health issues in recent years, but he was active until the last few weeks, and his final battle didn't linger long. Thankfully, I was able to see him and talk to him before he passed. I was able to tell him how much I appreciated and loved him. Not many people get that chance. I will miss the man who taught me how to work on cars, how to handle, shoot, and respect firearms - “plinking” we called it, how to fish, and how to camp. It was he who taught me how to truly appreciate nature and took me on some of the best hikes and camping trips I’ll ever experience. And I’m talking about REAL camping. We’d strap on backpacks and hike a couple of miles into the mountains. We’d set up our tents and campfires and we’d fish the stream for our dinner of fresh rainbow and brown trout. We’d clean them ourselves and make silly puppets with the fish heads. We’d lay out under the cloudless night sky and watch the occasional satellite pass by in orbit above. We’d cook oatmeal or fresh pancakes and bacon in the crisp morning air and explore the area around an old mine he’d found decades before.

He was a drag racer and took us to many events. I can still feel the rumble of the stock eliminator cars beating against my chest and the smell of racing fuel and oil. I remember being in awe as a child when he’d clean his car in preparation for a race. The shiny, Armor All-ed leather seats, the freshly washed red paint with all the sponsor stickers covering its doors and fenders, and the giant racing tires mounted on the rear axle made me think he was super human, larger than life - I suppose he was in many ways. And when he fired up the engine to make the final adjustments, my heart jumped and beat in time. It was so loud but I never minded that. I fell in love with the American muscle car because of those races.

He took our family on my first road trip when I was eight. We drove from California to Missouri exploring along the way. On this trip, he took us to see the very first Star Wars movie that had just been released in theaters, and a new love of mine was born.

When my son was born, and I began having to do dad stuff, I was able to better realize and appreciate what he had done for me. I told him so - I needed him to know that I appreciated him for that. He loved my son, and my son loved him for the short time he knew him.

He loved geography and geology and anything that had to do with the natural world. He had the gift of gab and could talk you for hours, and that’s not an exaggeration. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. We didn't talk too much about it, though he would if you asked him, and he earned a Bronze Star while there. He was a great many things. He loved us, he loved my wife and my son, and we loved him. You are missed Al Etter. Thank you. I love you.