A Very Strange Day

It's never a good day when you look at obituaries, and see someone you know, but it's really a strange day when you look the home town obituary and see that your father passed away.  And that's the only way you knew, because you happened to look at the obits that day.

So it seems that my father, whom I haven't seen or heard from since, Uh, maybe 1958 or 1959, passed away last Friday, ad the ripe old age of 78 or maybe 79.   At least longevity runs in my family, which is good to know. 

I don't know much about the guy,  just what I've heard through limited stories.  Served in the military in the late 1940's or early 1950's, MOS projectionist/photographer.  At one time I had a copy of his  honorable discharge papers, not sure what happened to those documents.  What little I do remember of him revolves around him running a hobby shop and playing with gas model airplanes.  I don't remember much interaction other than that. 

After he and my mother divorced, he bailed, started a new life and broke contact with us.  Apparently he didn't want to be bothered with "old baggage"  we were told by his parents to stay away from his live and we weren't welcome.

So, how to process all this.  Feel sad, sort of angry at what I missed.  My wife told me I should try and find him to establish contact, but I felt that he was the one that was continually hiding.  Not hard to get in contact with me, bankers from Nigeria can seem to manage.

So far the obituary reads, "Szabolcsky, Robert A. Fri., Jan. 2, 2009. Visitation XXX., 3-8 p.m. Funeral XXX., 12 noon at xxxx So. County. Interment National Cemetery

No mention of family, relatives, survivors, etc.  Somehow I wonder if that's how he wanted it.

So long Pop's, I never knew ya.