For You, Dad

SUCCESS

by Bessie Anderson Stanley, 1904

He has achieved success

who has lived well,

laughed often, and loved much;

who has enjoyed the respect of intelligent men and

the love of little children;

who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;

who has left the world better than he found it

whether by an improved poppy,

a perfect poem or a rescued soul;

who has never lacked appreciation of Earth’s beauty

or failed to express it;

who has always looked for the best in others and

given them the best he had;

whose life was an inspiration;

whose memory a benediction.

Today we celebrate the life of Richard “Wink” Pescosolido. I can’t think of this as an ending, and I can’t go away from today without sharing with you just what a special man he was. While part of me has wanted to crawl into bed and not get out, that just isn’t who I am and I can’t be greedy of this loss because he was more than just my dad. So I stand here today to share him with you.

I wondered what to say – I know, I can hear you all loud and clear, me with a loss for words? But more to the point – where do I start?

I am a product of my environment. My parent’s used to joke that they wanted the three of us kids to be independent people, and they worked to have us learn this, however with me they felt they accidentally went beyond the anticipated mark!

He was an educator and a student… When we first moved to California he was not the rancher you all know, but an English teacher. What did he do when we arrived? He went to school and in his thirties, jumped head first into the educational path of the farming world.

Wink was a hard worker, a do-er. He was one of the most driven people I have had the pleasure of knowing. An entrepreneur and savvy businessman, he was not so quiet in his desire for one of his three children to enjoy business and economics – little did he realize I would be the one to get As in that subject, and contemplate getting an MBA when I couldn’t find a job after college graduation. As a business owner myself I can appreciate all the hard work he put into his company and the sacrifices that entailed.

He was a giver – one of the most selfless people that I know. He gave countless hours of time to the boy scouts, to education, to sports, and to others. The list is endless of the activities he participated in for the benefit of others – campouts, scout leadership training sessions, timer at my high school swim meets. He was an athlete. You all know of his love of the outdoors – hiking and riding his bike. But he was a track star in his day, and still holds a record at his high school. Of course that event is no longer being competed – but still. He played football, tennis, golf, and the list goes on…

Wink was an artist – a singer and a photographer. He loved music, and I blame him completely for my sound track obsession. He even participated in musical theatre when I was a child. I bet many of you didn’t know this – but he and I shared a common dream – that of being a professional singer, though his genre of choice was opera. My world was surrounded in music when I was a kid, there was always one absolute given come Sunday… there would be music playing all day long – dad’s choice. Usually classical, and if you didn’t want to listen to it – you better go to your room and close your door.

But sometimes he would shift from the norm and play the sound track of a broad way hit or the Kingston Trio, or even something contemporary for him like Sonny & Cher, the Captain & Taneel or even the Oakridge Boys. It’s no wonder I have a crazy eclectic music taste. He was a photographer of remarkable skill, having been snapping pictures since his 20s, and you can be sure if he was out and about, the camera was with him more often than not. He was a husband, a brother, a friend, a colleague… he was my dad – and he will be missed.