Some anniversaries are positive and some are negative. For myself, January 30th marks the two-year anniversary of losing my dad. Without question, it has and continues to be the worst day of my life and a day that I will never forget. Who could have imagined that on that afternoon, as I left the house to drive to Cedar Rock to play hockey, that I would never see my dad alive again. The memories of that night when I came home are as crisp as full moons light across a fresh blanket of white snow. It is impossible to forget how shocked and stunned I was that night, as I was up crying in disbelief with my mom and my longtime teammate Brad Zehr into the early morning hours.
Two years later, it is still very hard and each day I miss the ability to hang out with my dad. Yet, I remember the times that we spent together while I was growing up. Our yearly Amtrak trip to Chicago in the summers to visit relatives, our nights spent at the Walker Arena watching the first-edition of the Muskegon Lumberjacks and later the Muskegon Fury, our Sunday Night journey around Muskegon talking to the train crew and following the CSX Cannonball out of town, the days spent running the massive model railroad that he loved so much in North Muskegon, watching hockey games (including the Blackhawks) at home on the television and the handful of trips that we made to the United Center to watch the Blackhawks live, are just a few of the great memories I tend to hang onto and miss the most.
As I look back, I have to give my dad credit for getting me involved in my two most passionate activities, railroading and hockey. As a kid, I instantly fell in love with trains and knew from a young age that this is what I wanted to do. Despite my moms frown when I as a teenager towards my lifelong goal, the railroad passion that my dad and I shared was just too strong to break. My dad always said that he regretted not hiring out with the railroad in his early years and in talking with his co-workers at Lorin Industries in Muskegon, my dad always looked up to me and talked about me as I was able to live his dream of working on the railroad. I will never forget the handful of times that I was able to secretly have my dad come to work with me on a yard job in Grand Rapids and ride around the train yard on the locomotive and the couple of times he spent the night riding the rails from Baldwin to Grand Rapids and back. It was if he was finally able to live out his dream and enjoy the benefits of a job he never had.
While my dad was not much of athlete, he did bring me to hundreds of hockey games at the Walker Arena. This father-son bonding time was great way to not only spend time together, but a way to increase my drive to get into sports. I can still remember the nights where as a kid, I would leave the arena after the games all upset and mad at the Lumberjacks/Fury, as either the referees would have an anti-Muskegon grudge or Muskegon would lose. (I think my current teammates can relate to me on that one!) While I did not play any sports in school (a regret that I still have today), the countless nights at the Walker Arena with my dad would eventually expand my passion and drive for hockey. As a teenager, I began playing inline hockey nearly every minute of every free second in Muskegon. Years later, the neighborhood kids and other Muskegon players would form the West Michigan Phantoms, a team that is still strong today, nearly ten-years after its start. I think my Aunt Kathy said it best, Kevins teammates are like his brothers.
As this anniversary draws near, I find myself a stronger person than a year ago and I give all that credit to my dad. It is strange how certain things dont get noticed until it is too late, but my dads motivation and drive to be a great individual and strong willed person are two traits that help make me the person I am today.
This April will mark the tenth anniversary of my career with the railroad and this fall the goaltender of the West Michigan Phantoms recreational hockey team, two of my passionate and lifelong activities. From the days of my dad carrying me onto my first locomotive in North Yard-Muskegon, to the days of helping me maneuver my hockey cart to Lincoln Park to play hockey with the gang, I owe my current success and life to my dad. As a kid, I can still remember riding in my dads Plymouth Reliant and later Dodge truck through Muskegon listening to Bob Kingsleys County Countdown following the train out of town. Those legendary country classics that I can still sing nearly every beat and word to, remind me of a time when all was well. I have always been a strong fan of country music and still love to listen to the classics.
Two years ago I was able to bring my mom to one of those legendary country concerts, the Oak Ridge Boys. The Oak Ridge Boys are a band that I can remember listening to while riding in my dads car. During that concert in 2010, they played a song that made me shed a tear and think deeper about life. I do not recall hearing this song as a kid, but I instantly became a strong fan based on my life as a railroader. This song reminded me just our precious life is and how ones journey through life occurs. To be honest, I am not a real religious person. And while the Oak Ridge Boys are known for their country classics, it was their gospel song that really touched me. Lifes Railway to Heaven is a song that describes a persons life from birth to death in terms of a railroad. Knowing my passion of railroading that my dad installed in me, as well as his missed opportunity to be a railroad man himself, brought a very close and personal touch to a song that I instantly fell in love with. I have since witnessed one other live concert from the Oak Ridge Boys and will be attending another one this spring with my mom and have the fortunate honor of sitting front row to this great legendary band and gospel group. I hope that all of you will take a moment to listen to this song, as it holds a special place in my heart and I am sure after hearing it, you will be able to take something from it as well.
As the saying goes, What doesnt break us makes us stronger. The past two years have been very difficult, but I know I am a stronger person and know that my dad is watching down on me and smiling. I have to say thanks to all my friends, teammates, family and co-workers who have helped me over the past two years. Their support and help have been unmeasureable in helping me cope with this great loss two years ago. Be sure to watch the video of the Oak Ridge Boys singing Lifes Railway to Heaven and enjoy those times you have with your family and friends because there will come a time that those moments will become just memories.
