4 A
❘
WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ JUNE 15, 2016
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
RYAN CRONK , EDITOR
Opinion
E XTRAORDINARY P EOPLE
For the Siuslaw News
_____________
H
e looked just like any ordinary
Joe, with his brown shoes and
Knox fedora. Like most men of
his era, he went to war, to work and to
church. Unlike them, he helped Mom with
the laundry. But that’s not what made him
so extraordinary.
There was something about Dad that
touched people’s hearts. Maybe it was the
gentle calm under the warrior’s tough exte-
rior, the radiant smile belying endless
tragedy or the surprising softness under the
machismo of a Pearl Harbor survivor.
Whatever it was, everybody adored Dad,
but perhaps no one more than his pig-tailed
little girl who loved to snap photos with her
Brownie Starmite camera as he banged out
newsletters on his Underwood typewriter.
Dad encouraged me to write and
remained the sole lifetime member of my
“aspiring author” fan
club. One day he
called to check on my
roller-coaster economic
status as a freelancer
and fledging attempts
to publish a book.
“How’s your finan-
cial situation?” he
asked hesitantly, knowing it would proba-
bly lead to another emergency loan.
“Uh… well, there never seems to be
quite enough to go around.”
I could feel him frown 2,340 miles
away. Next question.
“How’s your creative writing going?” he
asked, referring to every reporter’s dream
of trading fact for fiction and obituaries for
fantasy. My answer echoed the financial
one.
“Uh… well, there never seems to be
quite enough time for the book.” Time and
money. Weren’t they every writer’s eternal
lament?
“Never ever give up!” Dad declared.
“Always remember your dreams and keep
them alive.”
A perennial optimist, Dad taught me the
importance of embracing life’s challenges.
“Don’t ever let things get you down,” he
said. “Only in the darkness can a candle
shine its brightest light.”
That’s probably how he found clever
ways to support his four siblings at age 12
when his own father died in a sudden acci-
dent during the Great Depression. And how
he won a Purple Heart in the Army Air
Corps for rescuing his crew after their B-17
was shot down. And found time to orches-
trate community fundraisers, parades, vol-
unteer committees and charity events
Dad would also find spare change for a
homeless person or family in need.
“Don’t ever let things get you down.
Only in the darkness can a candle
shine its brightest light.”
—JOE ROURKE
“If you have just one piece of bread, tear
it in half and give the bigger slice to the
other guy,” he would say. In Dad’s world,
getting something back was never part of
his equations.
Dad wasn’t a rich man. In my eyes, he
was a millionaire who bestowed to his chil-
dren a mighty inheritance of wisdom,
EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
DEAR READERS
A
candlelight remembrance vigil for the
victims of Sunday’s shooting at an
Orlando nightclub is being held tomorrow,
June 16, at 9 p.m. in the labyrinth behind
St. Andrew’s Church, 2135 19th St. –Editor
Joe Rourke (with
Catherine, age 2)
supported his family
as a boy during the
Great Depression and
won a Purple Heart
in World War II.
Dad
C ATHERINE J. R OURKE
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
courage and love. While he couldn’t afford
to give us cars or college tuition, he lav-
ished us with far better gifts.
For me his generosity was his calm lis-
tening ear and gentle advice, or the way he
mediated with teachers and boyfriends on
my behalf whenever I found myself in a
pickle. And there were other riches too: his
collection of Celtic plaid ties that were
never quite knotted right and the way he
wrestled with tangled Christmas lights and
home movie reels.
Such things seem trite during the course
of our young lives, yet years later these
nostalgic memories of our fathers become
priceless family heirlooms.
From car crises to collect calls (remem-
ber those?), how do we thank our fathers
for all those countless times when we just
don’t know what we would have done
without them?
Dad’s most unforgettable gift arrived in
a totally unexpected way. Many years ago I
found myself in between freelance assign-
ments, down to my last dollar and too
proud to call home. Then an unexpected
letter appeared from Dad in my mailbox,
which read: “Always keep your chin up
and keep in good spirits. Expect a miracle.
And never ever give up.”
Enclosed was a check for $5,000 that he
had just won by playing my birthday num-
bers in the lottery. Dad didn’t even keep a
single cent for himself.
“Never ever give up!”
Those inspiring words meant even more
than the cash that accompanied them. The
money is long since gone, but the real jack-
pot was a father’s message of love and
encouragement that filled my cup and heart
forever.
In life’s most difficult moments, I have
read those wonderful words from long ago
PHOTO COURTESY OF CATHERINE ROURKE
as a powerful reminder of Dad’s undying
love. Even though Dad and the money are
but a memory, his spirit still breathes in that
beautiful letter that remains my most price-
less possession.
Dad loved books and newspapers,
instilling in me a passion for writing and
journalism. Thus it was a poignant moment
when the word of his passing arrived at my
newsroom desk just as we were sending
another paper to press. While he lost the
battle against cancer, he had won the war
with his selfless devotion to family, country
and community.
In a fitting tribute to his life of service,
Dad was buried at Arlington National
Cemetery. Struggling to pen his eulogy, I
wrote: “You can take all your great heroes
— your generals and your gurus, your
statesmen and your saints, your popes and
your prophets — and still, all dim in com-
parison to the humble greatness of a loving
father.”
The best way I can honor my dad is to
live like him — fearlessly and optimistical-
ly, always striving to do the best, giving
lavishly, wearing a radiant smile, lending a
hand and believing in miracles.
What is the legacy your dad has
bequeathed to you? This Father’s Day, for-
get all the ties, techno-gadgets and grilling
gear and celebrate the gifts he has given
you. Even if you never knew him or he
wasn’t the world’s greatest dad, perhaps
you can find some hidden treasure he
bestowed upon you, such as forgiveness,
compassion or strength.
If he’s still around, tell him how much
you appreciate him. I was lucky to have
that opportunity before our final farewell. A
father’s love never dies. If he has passed
on, think of it not as the loss of a parent but
as the gaining of an angel who never ceases
to watch over you. Even if he did screw up
now and then.
Happy Father’s Day to all you wonder-
ful dads out there. Keep your chin up and
keep in good spirits. Expect a miracle. And
never ever give up.
______________________
Catherine J. Rourke is an award-win-
ning writer, journalist and book editor who
teaches creative writing at the Florence
Regional Arts Alliance. She may be con-
tacted at CJReditor@gmail.com.
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