MY FATHER
I first posted this in February, 2007 but wanted to republish it here as a tribute to my wonderful father in celebration of Father's Day. I re-posted it June 21, 2009 and am once against posting it today, 3 years later, on June 17, 2012.
Next to my Lord & Savior, Jesus the Christ, my father and the things he taught me, the examples he lived out in front of me, has had, and continues to have, the most influence in my life.
I loved my father dearly. I was what you commonly call a "daddy's girl". I was, and am, very proud of my father. What he accomplished, who he was as a person and what he meant to me and my mother.
My father was born September 23, 1885 in Pennsylvania. He was the youngest of 8 children, 5 girls and 3 boys. As a very early child he and his family traveled from Pennsylvania to Kansas by covered wagon. As near as I can calculate the family must have traveled about 1250 miles in that covered wagon. I have no idea how long it took them to make the journey. Upon settling in Kansas my grand-father began farming. The two older sons in the family remained farmers and stayed in the same area of Gridley, Kansas for their entire lives.
My father did not want to be a farmer and left Kansas and ended up in New Mexico. The story of how that transpired I do not know. In 1918, at the age of 33, he served in the 5th New Mexico State Legislature. He was married and had two daughters. He became a widower when his wife died of TB.
On September 19, 1935, 4 days before his 50th birthday, he married my mother, Pauline Dickey Banta. My mother was a young widow with a 10 year old daughter named Marion. My mother was only 29 years old at the time of their marriage. This made her 21 years younger than my father and only a few years older than his two daughters from the first marriage.
I came along 2 years later. At the time of my birth my father was 52 and my mother was 31. I was born in a small town just north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, called Espanola. We moved to Santa Fe when I was only a few months old and I was raised in Santa Fe.
My father was in the Real Estate & Insurance business. H.H. Errett Real Estate. His office was on the second floor of the Ganns building on the Plaza. The picture above was taken walking the sidewalk in front of his office. It so represents him: walking briskly, papers in hand, pens in pocket, hat on head, pipe in mouth and dressed in business attire. He was a very fast walker and consequently so was ,and am, I. Mother use to always be saying, "You two slow down and wait for me". During my entire life I never saw my father dressed in casual clothes. Only one time, when we visited my maternal grandparents in Missouri and we went swimming and he put on some overalls to swim. He was always dressed like this or with an added suit jacket.
My father, like so many of his age, had lost literally everything during the depression. He had started over at the age of 50 and was quite successful. He provided a very wonderful life for me, my sister Marion and my mother. My father was just as wonderful a father to Marion and loved her and treated her as his very own. He had twin grandchildren, a boy and a girl, who were 1 year and 2 months older than I. It was always interesting when they would come to town to visit, which wasn't very often because their father was in the oil business and they lived in Peru, South America. They, being a year older than I, naturally were a head taller than I. So here was my father with these three children saying, "These two taller ones are my grandchildren and this littler one is my daughter"!!!
My father was very outgoing and social. He was a Deacon of the First Christian Church which he attended until his death. He was active in the Optimist Club of America and served some as the President. He loved to play pool and could quite often be found doing so. He was somewhat active in politics and a staunch Democrat. He was a totally honest man, and had an outstanding reputation with any and all who knew him, regardless of their status. There is a Errett Street in Santa Fe named after him.
He had a very full and happy life and died on June 17, 1972 at the age of 87. I was only 35 years old and my mother was 66 . My biggest regret is, because of his advanced age when I was born, our two younger sons never really knew him.
My reason for writing this is two fold. I just find it so interesting if you think about how much life has changed in America and in society in general from his birth until now. During a span of two generations we have gone from covered wagon days to super-sonic jet travel. Telephone's with an operator putting through the calls on a switchboard, and party lines. His office number was 616 and our home number was 1520W. The "w" representing we shared that party line with another family. The older lady next door was always picking up the phone and listening to my calls!! One, usually large, radio in the living room where everyone would gather around to hear the news or a few shows. I remember when we got out first black and white TV. What a big day that was. Cars with running boards and no air conditioners or radio. Wringer washing machines and clothes lines. Old Underwood typewriters. He would have no concept of me typing at this computer and this little tribute going literally around the world. Pipe organs at church. He would be very surprised with the many instruments used today to praise his God. Praise and worship songs in addition to the old standard hymns he knew so well. His two favorites were "The Old Rugged Cross" and "In The Garden". The fast pace of life. Stores used to be opened only Monday through Saturday and then only from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nothing was opened on Sunday. Most roads were dirt and the highways were 2 lane. I could go on and on but you get the picture.
Thanks for listening. to this "daddy's girl" reminisce about her father.
When I posted this 2 years and 4 months ago I had NO IDEA the changes I would be seeing in the world we live in that have occurred just during these 24 short months. I know that my father would be more horrified than I am at the turn of events and direction that our country and our world are taking. I was re posting this in honor of my father, but re-reading it made me so much more aware of just how very fast we are seeing our country deteriorate. I'm glad he did not live to see what I am seeing.
As I re-post this again THREE years later, I am even more horrified at the terrible changes that we are observing in our great country. Morally we are truly getting close to what the Bible speaks when it says, "As in the days of Noah........" We are coming up on a VERY important election this November. PLEASE - I beg you, study the candidates and vote for the people you think can turn our country back to being a GODLY nation. I am thankful for this little blog that makes me so aware of how fast things are changing in my lifetime.
As I re-post this again THREE years later, I am even more horrified at the terrible changes that we are observing in our great country. Morally we are truly getting close to what the Bible speaks when it says, "As in the days of Noah........" We are coming up on a VERY important election this November. PLEASE - I beg you, study the candidates and vote for the people you think can turn our country back to being a GODLY nation. I am thankful for this little blog that makes me so aware of how fast things are changing in my lifetime.
I love you daddy. You were the best father I could have ever asked or hoped for.
