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Frank Abbott: my friend's father

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Contributed by: Cecile Vargo on 11/1/2006

Here are random thoughts I wrote in after learning of Frank's death:

Oct. 16, 2006

My Friend's Father

My friend's father died yesterday morning; he was like a father to me also. How fortunate to have two fathers, my own, and my best friend's. I was practically a member of their household from the time I was about 14 or 15 and well into my adult years.

What fun times we used to have in their backyard swimming pool, and the family barbecues, sitting out on the patio singing songs and telling jokes, or telling stories, in the summer time.

Wintertime, he'd cook up big spaghetti dinners for us. We always celebrated pre-Thanksgiving and Christmas with them as well. Family events like weddings, births, and birthdays, were a big deal, too.

We even went on a few vacations together. My son Eric had his first fishing at 5-years-old with Grandpa Abbott. I need to dig up that picture of the two of them and have it framed.

The tiny guest house next door to the Abbott property was where my friend's maternal grandmother lived. She traveled a lot, so the house was mine and Sue's when she was gone.

We'd call up her cousin, and maybe another friend or two, and take over the place for the weekend. The sliding doors to the little cabin like place led to a private patio for us, and we had our own access to the pool. I still remember the hot summer night we girls were all taking a midnight dip in that pool to cool off.

Mr. Abbott wanted to take a swim before he went to bed, but he was worried about invading our privacy. He came out with his swim trunks on, and towel wrapped over them, and sort of sheepishly asked, "Are you girls decent? You aren't in there skinny dipping, are you?"

He didn't care if we were - he just wanted to make sure the coast was clear before he decided to come in. Fortunately for him, we weren't, that time at least, and I'm sure we were happy to have him join us.

Halloween was always fun. Mr. and Mrs. Abbott loved to dress up as much as the rest of us, and were always off to some Halloween event themselves. And the year Frank turned 60, Ginny surprised him with a belly dancer. His Irish ruddy face turned redder, as he enjoyed her gyrations. How we all laughed.

What a flood of memories are going through my head now. We will share them with the family at Thanksgiving this year as everyone lives in different parts of the country now.

It was decided to wait until then for a celebration of the life of Frank, who is at peace now after Alzheimer's disease finally took him completely away from us. A celebration of a life of a man well loved by his family and friends. I was fortunate to have known him and like a second daughter to him, I fondly called him Dad when the occassion called for it.

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