As you guys are a second family to me, I knew you would want to know. After a 9 year battle with cancer, my father passed away early this morning. He passed away at home. He was 75. He met with a chaplain a couple of days ago and told him, "the woods is my heaven." The night before he passed my mother told me she struggled to keep him settled down. He saw the moon out and thought it was the sun coming out. He said to her, "I have to call Steve to go deer hunting." Despite his battle with cancer, he hunted the last eight of nine years. He didn't hunt this last season but on the second weekend of the hunt he did drive the 140 mile round trip to the family farm (where he was born) and managed to drive his pickup out in the woods. It happened to be a picture perfect fall day that day and he greatly enjoyed it. The cancer really didn't get the best of him until the last week or two. He had bone cancer and they were able to knock this back with chemo several times over the years. It was this summer that the cancer escaped from his bones and invaded his lymphnode system and became very aggressive. Despite pretty bad odds his doctor threw everything they could at him as far as chemo treatment. I know his doctor came to be very close to him and could not bring himself to give up on him. He even told my mother that he realized he had lost some of his professional perspective when he kept trying when nothing was working. He was a carpenter by trade and worked very hard all his life. He worked all week and worked in the woods all weekend. He never had a day of paid vacation, paid sick time, paid dollar of retirement in his life. He just worked hard and never complained a bit about it. I recall several deer seasons that corresponded with chemo treatment. Sometime he would run out of breath and drop to his knees. He would just wait until he got some breath back, get back up and keep going. This occurred when he was dragging a deer, cutting up windfalls across the trails and on and on. Later.

Oh God Steve. Sorry to hear of your loss. He sounds like the kind of guy I would have loved to meet. My sincere condolences. May Godspeed.

Sorry to hear this but you will always have great memories to keep close to your heart...

PRAYERS for you & yours boltman



Mike

Steve, Sorry to hear about the passing of your dad. It sounds like you lost a great friend also.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time. I know your pain. My dad passed 2 years ago from cancer and Christmas with out him just isn't he same. Seventy five is too young to be called home.

RIP Dad...about says it. Remember the good times, as those are all we have left.

"Good" Dad's are always your best friend. You had a good one, Steve. A real fighter!!!

Steve,
My condolences to you and the family. I'm glad you have all the wonderful memories.
john

He sounds like a great man, Steve. I'm sorry to hear about your family's loss.

Rod

So sorry for your loss; alot of great memories; and remember he enjoyed life and did it his way.
Doug

My prayers are with you and yours...God Speed...Rod

Sorry for your loss Steve. Sounds like a life well lived.

Steve,

Sorry to hear of your loss. Memories are forever and sounds like you made a few with your Dad. Thinking of you and your family during this tough time.

Blair

We need more strong, quiet men like your dad. Sounds very similar to my dads battle with cancer 12 years ago. Pass his legacy on to every kid you meet. So sorry for your pain and loss.

I remember Lincoln quoted in "Saving Private Ryan" with the following: "any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming". I feel the same. I don't think my words could make it better, but know this, a decade has passed since docdb, Sr. passed suddenly, and I can think of him a smile, without the hurt.
Condolences sir,
Don

Steve,
Sorry for your family's loss. Remember all the good times and keep the memories alive! Prayers for you and family.
Bruce

Steve, Sorry for you and your families loss, but i would guess that after 9 years of fighting cancer, and suffering thru it your father now rests in a better place. Don

So sorry for your loss. Godspeed to you and yours.

Sorry for your loss Steve. You and your dad will be in my prayers.

Sorry to hear about your dad Steve, sounds like he was quite a guy.

Sorry for your loss.

Steve, awfully sad to hear he thought it was time to go hunting with you, but knowing those thoughts were in his mind near the end should ease your pain. Sounds like a wonderful Dad and wish the best for you and your family. Tom

may he rest in peace and my condolences to your family Steve.

So sorry to hear about your dad, Steve. My dad passed back in 77, but it was he who taught me to hunt also. I left home when I was 17 and went into the service. Only got to hunt with Dad a few times when I came home on leave. But I still remember those hunts. God bless your dad, prayers go out to you and you family.

Sincere condolences Steve. Our fathers made us who we are today. They would want us to go on in life, stopping every once in a while to remember them with a smile.
Each fall I make a point of sitting on my Dad's favorite deer watch for an hour or so ... silly after 14 years without him but it still makes my eyes tearup.
BillR

Sound like your dad left you rich in memories and a left you a true legacy.
Sorry for your loss.

So sorry for your loss.

So sorry to hear this, but now he can deer hunt and not hurt, got to be hunting in some part of Heaven! RIP Sir!

So sorry to hear about your Dad. It sounds like he was a wonderful man to know.

Prayers on the way.

I too am sorry for you and your family Steve.

Home is the sailor home from the sea, and the hunter home from the hill

R.I.P.

My deepest sympathy Steve

Johno

Very sorry to hear about your dad, Steve. Prayers sent for you and your family.

So sorry to hear of your loss Steve.

Hold onto your memories of him as they will sustain you during this very difficult time.

Randy

Lost my Dad to cancer many years back. He went pretty quick and well before his time. I share your grief and send condolences to you and yours.

Sorry for your loss, losing ones dad is the toughest thing I have ever gone though. I prayed for u and your family at Mass today.

Sorry to hear about your dad sounds like mine never complane just did what he had to best of luck with your loss

Steve, I'm sorry for your loss. Dads like yours are the unsung heroes of our society. They teach by there actions.
Take the time you need to catch your breath and press on, that's what a good man does.

God bless
Lee

So sorry. Wish there was something I could do to ease your loss.

Sorry to hear of your loss. Your father sounds like he was one of the special "Dads".

Steve sorry for your loss ,but what a legacy he left in you . Sounds to me you guys spent a great deal of quality time together .I felt the same way about my dad and I hope to have passed on the same qualities to my son . Tom

Steve, your story of your Dad's final fight reminds me of my Dad's, and of these lines by Rudgard Kipling: "If you can force your heart, and nerve, and sinew to serve their turn long after they are gone, and so hold on when there is nothing in you except the will which says to them 'hold on'...If you can fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run, then yours is the earth and everything that's in it, and which is more, you'll be a man, my son." Sounds like that sums him up pretty well. Grieve for your loss but rejoice in honor of the life of the man who was your dad. God bless.
John

Sorry to hear of your loss. Cancer sucks. Peace and Strength to you and yours.

Dale

So sorry to hear this, Steve. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family.

Steve, well done on taking him on the Last Hunt. Clearly, you are blessed to have had him in your life, and he to have had you. Pass all those many things he gave you/taught you on to your kids/grandkids, along with all those places and stories. And keep on taking those yutes out too. Thus will his honor and legacy live on, as well it should.
Blessings and strength,
-David

"the woods is my heaven."

Always think of him when you're in the woods as he is with you.

A great sadness
But reading your post a life to celebrate & remember of a man true, a lot he would have pasted onto you
Our thoughts & feelings from down under
Graham

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Found memories are a great comfort. The stories of family long gone keep them alive. Heartfelt prayers for your Dad's journey to the next happy hunting ground.

Shortgrub

I am very sorry to hear of your loss. Your family are in my prayers.

BP...

Sorry for your loss. My sincere condolences.

Your Dad sounds like our kinda guy... remember him in the "good times" during his best days when you were a lot younger.

Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

Heartfelt condolences Steve and family. Prayers sent.

Thanks for all the support and kind words. I know we are not all the same here and are all different from one another in various ways. However, I feel confident that everyone here would have greatly enjoyed spendig time with my Dad in the woods. It was what he enjoyed the most and he was darn good at hunting down those big Minnesota whitetail deer. I'll get some pictures posted once I get caught up.

Thanks again,

Steve

I guess it has been pretty much said already. God Bless.

It sounds like he was one hell-uv-a man, husband & father!
Prayers and condolences sent & thanks for sharing.

Steve, so sorry to hear of your loss. I think our fathers were a lot alike as mine was a carpenter by trade, also and seldom took off time for himself other than to hunt.

Even after passing they tend to pop up when you need them or when you venture into those areas of your memory where the good times are stored.

My Dad and my son - last year's deer season. He had been fighting off cancer for seven and a half years when this photo was taken.

His favorite photos were of the deer still out in the woods:

A shot of him cutting through a windfall to get at the deer with the tractor:

Really does look like heaven doesn't it:

The cancer would cause him to run out of air, my son is taking over to spell him a bit:

Great pictures, great deer.

Steve
So sorry to hear about your dad. I Know You and I Have Shared Stories In the Past, And You Set Me a P.M. a Few Weeks ago About Your Dad and Others. Prayers Sent. Some Great Stories and Memories to always cherish. Steve

Sorry to hear about Dad. Hope you and the family are doing o.k. I lost my mom on Dec. 4th this year so I know what you are going through. Best to you and yours from New Hampshire. Rich

sounds like your dad has passed on his love of life ,hunting and charactor to you and your son a legacy that will keep on giving

norm

God bless you and yours.

He went out with his boots on for sure. May God let us all be so lucky...

God Bless...

RAS

Sorry to hear the new, Steve. I'm at a loss for word. God bless!

Thank you all for all your support and kind words. We had the funeral today. I'm still dealing with the finality of it.

Great pictures Steve. I wish I had some like that of my dad.

Hey Boltman....
I'm sorry to hear about your Dad! I lost my Dad in August ,so I know how you are feeling. Time heals some of the sadness but the memories will always remain! Remember the good learn from any of the bad!!! Cherish the time you spent hunting with him(my Dad hung his rifle up before i could ever hunt with him)! Once again, sorry for your loss!!!
3stars

3Stars -

You are right - I have many memories to be grateful for. I was able to hunt with my Dad from when I was a small boy until the 2010 deer season. Nearly 50 years. I remember as a small boy I went up in the deerstand with him without carrying a gun. The following year I was allowed to carry a .410 single shot (with slugs in my pocket). The year after that I was allowed to have a shell in the gun. I recall we were sitting up in the deerstand together and a line of deer (maybe four or five) came through. They were traveling in a direction out of my sight line. Like it was yesterday, I recall hearing him whisper, "deer." He shot and put one down and then the others turned and ran across my sight line. They were running flat out and and I put the bead on one and dropped him (about 50 to 75 yards away). There was plenty of brush and we couldn't see them after they dropped. We waited a bit (it felt like days) and we went and found his deer and then went to find mine. We found where it had laid down but it had gotten back up. There was a blood trail that we followed but it gave out. I was disappointed but the following year I was not equipped with a .410. By the way, you might surmise that for the last 40 some years, if any one asked about the suitability of a .410 for deer, I've always had a strong opinion. I am also grateful that not only did I get to have a half century in the woods with my Dad, my son was able to have nearly a quarter century in the woods with him as well. I know he is disappointed that his son was only able to spend two days with my Dad and will never be in the woods with him.

Boltman...
Sounds like you're heading in the right direction.... continue to remember those moments spent with him!!!! Very cool that your son had the privilege as well!!! Take care
3stars

The woods have been a part of me since I was a very small boy. Before I was hunting in the woods I was waiting to be in the woods - usually staring into the woods. Here is a shot of me when I was around 3 or 4. I'm standing at the edge of the yard with a small pair of binoculars peering out waiting to catch sight of my Dad returning. If I waited long enough I was always rewarded and here I am watching him dragging a deer in. He was younger than my son is now....

Priceless.