He was the lay delegate to the Pittsburgh Annual Conference for decades. He was the secretary of the New Brighton Official Board and the Rochester District Conference equally as long (in those days the minutes were hand-written). He served the Pittsburgh Conference in many capacities, foremost being a member of the Stationing Committee for over twenty-five years (now known as the Ministerial Appointments Committee). He was a Class Leader for many years. He was a trustee of the local church and of the Tri State Campground. He was honored to be elected as a lay delegate to the Free Methodist General Conference five times!
Not a bad legacy for a man who dropped out of school after the eighth grade! At that time he concealed his real age in order to be hired at the Townsend Company where he ran nail-making machines for thirty years. When they shut down the nail mill they sent him to night school to prepare him for running the new rivet machines. He struggled with learning decimals and fractions; I was in high school at the time and was able to help him with his homework! :-) After running rivet machines for about eight years, he moved to the tool-crib where he finished out his forty-eight years with the company!
He was not an affectionate man [see blog article "I Taught My Dad to Hug" written in June, 2012]. He worked a lot of overtime and then served as an evening maintenance man at the local children's home. When he came home, my mother always had supper ready. After the meal, he would retire to his bedroom to listen to WBVP on his stereo radio and read the evening paper. He would only occasionally join Mom and me in watching television. He loved Gunsmoke and Paladin and also like Red Skelton (which surprised me).
I remember some Sunday afternoons when he would throw the baseball with me in the front yard. My mother - being a strict Sabbatarian - wasn't too thrilled when that happened! By the time I was a teen, he had earned six weeks of vacation per year! He took us camping near Salamanca, New York for two weeks every summer! Those were fun times when I got to know him better. He would swim with me and play games as well!
He loved my Mom and honored her in everything. He was an excellent money-manager. When I was four they sold their house on Mt. Washington (in Beaver Falls) and bought a brand new home in New Brighton. I can barely remember their excitement at this move.
When our kids came along, he paid a lot of attention to them and loved them! Fortunately, Troy and Tracie each have a few memories of Grandpap Haire! They LOVED going to visit my folks because they had many bowls of candy in the living room!
After being extremely healthy for nearly 78 years, he struggled with physical problems for his last year-and-a-half. He died in Mercy Hospital on the last Sunday of Family Camp in 1992. I miss him dearly and often think of what a blessing he would be if he was still around.
Now, I'm 65 and retired. Our children are grown and no longer dependent on us. We delight in opportunities to spend time with them and LOVE their company! Just this morning, I sat in worship with Troy; then he took me to Five Guys for lunch. We stopped to visit an old friend of mine on the way home and then he showed me a house that he's interested in. The card he gave me stated: "I'm blessed today...for the way you raised me, the values you instilled in your kids, your commitment to Mom, and now for your friendship..." I'm humbled and honored!
I love being a Dad (and now a 'Poppy'). I'm SO PROUD of my kids!
Tracibeth (my personal name for her since she was born) is a truly amazing woman! She is a great Mom and a dedicated wife! She has been greatly appreciated over the years in the several jobs she has held (J. C. Penney's and Home Depot). She led a support system for Navy wives during periods of Jon's deployment and mentored other wives through the reality of absent husbands for seven-month seasons. She has co-led small groups in their church along with Jon! She organized a Haire-family trip to Disney last October that none of us will ever forget! She has phenomenal gifts for organization and leadership (although she doesn't fully recognize the latter yet). When she was little, I told her that she could be anything she wanted to be. At that time, I thought she might choose to be a lawyer, but she chose a higher path! Everything she does makes me proud and it is impossible to express my love for her in a blog article!!!
Troy is (as stated above) one of my newest friends! Building a garage together since last September has been an amazing way to get to know him better! He is patient and determined to an extent that I had not fully realized before. He has strong perfectionistic tendencies that he didn't get from me! He is strong and capable with a consuming desire to learn new skills and gain new knowledge! From what I can see, he is an excellent husband and cares passionately for Missy! He loves her and prioritizes time with her on their shared days off! I hope someday he has the opportunity to be a Dad; I'm confident that he'd be a great one! He surprises me with his sensitivity and his creativity. He takes his work (as a fire-fighter) very seriously and has stayed in excellent physical shape because of the importance of his work! The word 'proud' doesn't even get close to describing my feelings about him!
Travis will always be dearly missed! I've written about him many times before and will minimize my thoughts here. He accomplished so much that continues to dazzle me! I believe he was capable of doing just about anything! I miss his input as Debbie and I make major decisions in our lives. He was wise, impulsive, committed, mischievous, fun-loving, intelligent, determined (bull-headed), and universally respected! He loved deeply and broadly and his circle of friendships covered all the bases [see "He Was My Friend" blog article from October, 2015]. Never a day passes without thinking of him and missing him. He brought Josh into our lives - for which we are so grateful! Josh's recent trip east for my retirement party gave us extended time to reminisce and share deeply together! "Travis, I love you, son, and always will!" His name for me was 'Pops', and I so miss hearing it from him!
So, you see, I am a blessed son and Dad! God has been SO GOOD to me and I certainly didn't earn it and don't deserve it.
"How can I say thinks for the things You have done for me?
Things so undeserved, yet You gave to prove Your love for me.
The voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude.
All that I am and ever hope to be, I owe it all to Thee.
To God be the glory!"
[words by Andre Crouch].
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