Ceail Mccarty
My dad was a great man. I'll always remember his big goofy smile, his great taste in movies, and music, and his bear hugs that made me feel like I was completely safe.
My dad wasn't the healthiest guy; he ate red, fatty meats, fried food, and oh so many "sugar free cookies". He would never go a night without having one of his dirty martinis (that i was taught to make) around sunset, in a glass with two olives and sometimes a cheese plate. He loved sailing, he loved the thought of being able to pick up and go wherever the wind took him. Toward the end he said he wanted one last adventure. A circumnavigation through the Caribbean, starting from the Little Abacos, Bahamas, and ending it back in Pensacola, Fl, where his sailing adventure had begun so long ago. There were so many bumps and scrapes along the way. So many break downs. We all fought, and got stressed, but dad would always be there, trying to fix it to make it back. We got as far as Grenada and as a group, decided to just turn back and come back through the Bahamas to get to Pensacola. But dad, being susceptible to many illnesses became sick while stopping in the Dominican Republic, Hispanola. He fought so hard his whole life. He fought through an era of many hardships; he fought in Vietnam when his country called on him. He didn't like to talk about his service in Vietnam, but when he did I would call him a hero, and he would always say, "The real heroes were the ones who didn't get to go home". Through all of this he fought and when it came time, he just couldn't fight anymore. My dad used to say with all of his close calls, that he thought God had forgotten about him...... My dad was a lot of things. But most of all, he was amazing. God didn't forget you dad.
I love you and miss you so much!