Sam John Hooson, Jr 1929-2007

On Tuesday at about 1pm at our home, I faced something that I hoped I would never witness, the death of my father from an apparent severe stroke. After months of illness for unrelated colon illness, my father simply became very weak in the last few days and got up out of bed and died in the bathroom. Life has been very difficult caring for him recently due to all of his health needs which were nothing like his strong and hardworking nature all through his life. There was never a lazy bone in his body.

My father worked as a teenager for his father's hardware store, HOOSON's HARDWARE, and at the age of 16 took a job with FRED MEYER's BAKERY as a baker and spent 45 years in this occupation. He finally retire at the age of 64 after technology had speeded up production to over 100 loaves a minute and his knees were simply too worn out,even with various medical procedures, to keep up with this fast production level any longer.

My father was also a strong union man, and became a worker/safety inspector at his plant for his union, cutting down on workplace accidents and injuries. It was also this union membership that provided him an excellent wage, job security, and a great retirement package. Any American who does not have a union job absolutely needs to get one if they want to enjoy their share of the American dream. Many of America's most professional and highest paid workers are union members.

My father was also loyally devoted to his wife, Eileen, my mother, for what would have been 58 years of marriage this coming September. My mother is in shock and deeply heartbroken as I am. With so many broken homes nowadays, witnessing a lifelong love relationship that extended literally to "death due you part" is sometimes rarer these days. More good relationships like this as well as fathers as good as my father would go a long ways to healing and improving American society where many men do not take responsibilty as seriously as they should to their wife or family.

My father was also a prouud member of the U.S. Army and was stationed as a cook at a prisoner of war camp due to his experience in the food industry back in 1950 when he was drafted into the military as he planned to marry my mother.

My father always loved dogs, and his little dachshound buddy, Samuel Fudge, was right by his side throughout his illness and provided him an important source of friendship and love, besides his family. With no grandchildren as of yet between his three children, Sam III, Diane or me, Paul, a dog was the closest thing to a grandchild he ever had. Anyone touched to do so may make a donation to their local humane society or animal shelter and help to feed and care for homeless dogs and cats until they can find a loving home like our dogs and cats have done through the years.

God bless my father for being such a loyal, devoted, and very hardworker who did all that he could for his family and provided them a wonderful life. Cetainly God has to have a place in his paradise for such a wonderful man who was very friendly, but sometimes annoyed my mother by finding someone to talk to somewhere after he retired and could find the time to become more personable. But my father could always find a project to stay busy, and I often let him take the lead, but often acted in a supporting role to help him. Our last father/son project was only two months ago when he helped me assemble my motor scooter when it arrived on a wood pallet from the importer. His many, many, family, friends, neighbors and others who loved this great man will deeply miss him.

God bless you, dad. Please let me know what paradise is like somehow, if God gives you the time. You always said to me that experiencing death would be embarking on one last great adventure. One in which one would find out if there a hereafter and hopefully would meet God in paradise. I love you and already deeply miss you. I'll take good care of mother, your three homes, Samuel Fudge, and car for you. I promise.

Life will be mucher tougher here without you. But I'll cope somehow and try to be like you and roll up my sleeves and do right by you and make you proud. Please forgive any of my shortcomings in the past, when I sometimes did not measure up to your expectations. God bless you dad. I deeply love you. I promise I won't let you down.----Your loving son, Paul