Dad was a proud member of the Greatest Generation. A navigator in the U.S. Navy during World War II, selected for his mathematical skills, he was assigned to transport ships plying the South Pacific Ocean. Even as a youth, his son quickly realized that Dad viewed the world as a place full of challenges and difficulties - interminable adversities that had to be anticipated, grappled with head-on, and surmounted. As a result, he had no patience for complainers, excuse-makers, or shirkers of responsibility. But more than anything, he couldn't stand liars, prevaricators, or connivers; like many of his generation, Dad believed that "a man's word is his bond." He often said, "If you don't give me ammo, I can't fire the gun."

Above all, he expected full effort in every action and could instantly tell if one of his children wasn't giving their best. Throughout his 84 years, his staunch Catholic faith guided him, and by both example and word, he steadfastly imparted those principles to his six children.