F is for FATHER

ABC Wednesday - Today is brought to you by the letter F. For more information on ABCW, see Mrs. Nesbitt's blog.

There was no doubt in my mind about what I'd post about today. As soon as I realised it was the letter "F," I knew it meant my Father. My father was a Famous soccer player and is in the BC Sports Hall of Fame as part of the St.Andrews Football Team. They were champions in 1947 and were the team to beat in the fourties and fifties. Here's a portrait of the young man around age 20.

Dad is 2nd from the left rear (no tam) with his team.

Here is the football team at Niagara Falls, late '40s. Dad is 3rd from the right at the rear.

When the Word War II broke out, Dad joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and became a flight instructor. Thankfully, he didn't have to go overseas, but he did fly the Atlantic Coast patroling for enemy ships and submarines.

Dad is on the left with others from British Columbia.

Here he is walking down the street in Vancouver, BC, on furlough, aged 21.

This photo of Dad flying his plane was taken by a buddy in another plane.

After the war, Dad returned to work for the British Columbia Telephone Company where he made a good living and provided well for his family. His wife and three daughters were his number one priority in life, along with continuing to play soccer until he became a linesman and then a referee for many years. He also became Commissioner for the sport for a while, too. My sister was born while he was away in the RCAF, but upon his return told my Mom he wanted them to have another child. Here I am - his favourite! (well, maybe not really but I "was" the only one they planned.)

We loved camping every summer and here we are at Wasa Lake in the Kootenay region of BC, an extremely hot spot where all you could do was stay in the water to keep cool. And Dad always made it fun.

And here I am (on the slide) and my Dad is helping my younger sister on the teeter totter at the campsite in Banff, Alberta.

Of course my father walked me down the aisle on my wedding day, but instead of posting the typical formal photograph, here's one of us at the reception reacting to something funny. You can tell my father had a wonderful sense of humour.

And finally, here is a beautiful floral arrangement given to me by my church family when Dad passed away last September. I was lucky to have him as my father for fifty-nine years. I'll always miss him.

John Richard (Jack) Jones

January 18, 1921 - September 21, 2007