What Great Dads!

"A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society." 
-- Billy Graham

As I was looking over the family websites, with all their wonderful pictures, I could not help but think, “What great dads this Barnett family has!”  This is encouraging, because growing up; we did not have a father present.  My parents divorced when I was three, and my father died when I was thirteen. My brothers and I did not have a father figure to show us the way.  Father’s Day was not a holiday in our house.  As a matter of fact, I don’t think I even knew there was such a thing as Father’s Day until I got married and had my daughter, Shannon.

Great Dad, Dan Barnett

Despite this my brother, Dan, works had at being a good Dad. A proud father, Dan, gave all his sons the middle name of Danielson. His four children are all grown up now, but they spend a lot of time together even still. His daughter Jodi is an interior architect. His son Scott is an ex-Iraq Vet Marine, taking pre-med at the University Of Nevada. His son Patrick is currently in the Army. His son Jacob is a student at the University of Oregon. With all these college students, I bet Dan received many letters from college over the years similar to this:

Dear Dad,

$chool i$ really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying very hard. With all my $tuff, I $imply can't think of anything I need, $o if you would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hear from you.

Love, 
Your $on


The Reply:(to the above)

Dear Son,

I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics, and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to keep even an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt forget that the pursuit of kNOwledge is a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh.

Dad

Of course Dan had a lot of help from his wife, Robin.  This letter from a daughter might rightfully explain it:

One evening a little girl and her parents were sitting around the table eating supper. The little girl said, "Daddy, you're the boss, aren't you?" Her Daddy smiled, pleased, and said yes. The little girl continued "That's because Mummy put you in charge, right?"

Below are some recent photos of Dan & his Family.

Happy Father’s Day, Dan.  I think you ARE a GREAT Dad!

Great Dad, Christopher Barnett

My nephew, Christopher’s father passed away when he was only seven years old.  He had a great dad, my brother Don.  Don’s grandmother raised him, after his mother’s death.  Don absolutely loved and adored his six children. It is hard to lose a father. Don understood that, and would not have wanted that for his children, but cancer won its battle. I admire how Christopher is fathering his own children, and I think his father would be very proud of him. Christopher recently graduated from Oxford with a doctor’s degree in Divinity.  Both Christopher and his dad, raised family’s while working their way towards their doctorates.  Don had a doctorate in Aeronautical Engineering.  Life father, like son.    Christopher has a wonderful wife, Stacy. They have three sons, Luke, Caleb, and Paul.  I have just recently reconnected with Don’s children, as thousands of miles and many years have separated us. I am so excited to see how well they are doing. Below are some pictures of Christopher’s Family:

  

 

After looking over the Stacy’s web site, full of their family pictures, this little cartoon seems to echo Christopher son’s concept of their dad.

Happy Father’s Day, Christopher.  I think you ARE a GREAT Dad!

Great Dad, Bert Newton

My niece, Joanna, is Christopher’s little sister. She was only three when her father passed away. She married this wonderful man, Bert Newton, and he is another great father. I was privileged to attend their wedding several years ago, but I do not know either of them very well.  However, after looking over their family web site, I can tell that Bert is a great father. Bert is a high school coach.  Joanna & Bert have two children, Reese and Owen.  Owen is named after my brother, Don, whose middle name was Owen.  Below are some pictures of the Newson family.

 

Happy Father’s Day, Bert.  I think you ARE a GREAT Dad!