A Tribute to Our Dad – Love, Legacy & Mopar Memories | March 2024

March 2024 changed our world forever as we said goodbye to our dad—our rock, our hero, our cheeky car-loving storyteller. This blog holds the eulogy I wrote for his wake, a small tribute to the massive impact he had on our lives. While words can never fully capture who he was, I hope this helps keep his memory alive and honours the incredible love, laughter, and legacy he left behind.

💛 A Heart That Loved Big

Dad is an amazing man who has touched so many lives. His heart is huge. He loved his wife from the moment he laid eyes on her and knew she was going to be his for all of his life. He had room in his heart for his three children and adopted four and five along the way—whether child by blood or not, he loved you like you were his.

His family grew with grandchildren, and his heart grew bigger. He loved and cherished them, showed patience, spoilt them, and they were perfect just the way they are.

🚗 Cars, Chats & Mopar Brotherhood

He shared his love for cars with anyone who wanted to chat (or didn't) and made friends along the way. We hear stories of him rescuing damsels, picking Mum up at the bus stop late at night to make sure she got home safe, dropping off the checkout chick when she finished work late, picking up friends and driving them around to get stuff done.

There were secret donuts in the Dodge on the way to school. He’d drop in on friends for a chat—whether a long-term friend, an old workmate, or someone who shared his passion for all things Mopar.

His door was always open. You were welcomed into his home to sit and watch a show or two, chat about cars, visit the garage mancave, have a coffee, join them for dinner, and talk more cars...

😈 Stubborn, Cheeky, and Always Loving

He was fiercely independent (which he admitted was stubborn) and extremely cheeky. I remember the mornings I was woken up being pinned down by Team Murrkerr and having a cold deodorant bottle rubbed on nice toasty bare skin.

Our home was filled with love—both emotionally and physically.

Emotionally, we were always told that we were loved. We heard Mum and Dad telling each other of their love. We were taught to question the relationships we formed and ask if we deserved to be treated this way—nothing but the best for his girls.

Physically, we saw Mum and Dad’s affections all the time. A peck on the lips here and there, loving gazes into each other's eyes. They’d sit on the couch close together, hand in hand, walk around a car meet or at the mall—still hand in hand.

🏡 His Legacy Lives On

Dad will live on in his daughters, both blood and adopted, as well as in his grandchildren and future generations to come.

He has created a legacy of strong, independent women and gentlemanly men with strong family values—a home filled with love and a door that is open no matter what you need.

❤️ We Love You, Dad

Thank you for taking the time to read our tribute to Dad. We are grateful for all the love and support from family, friends, and everyone whose lives he touched. His spirit will continue to guide us, and his legacy of love and kindness will live on forever in our hearts. If you have memories or stories of him, we’d love to hear them and keep his story alive together.