Wade Boggs, a former Red Sox hall-of-famer, once said: “Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.”
Father’s Day is a worldwide holiday that was created to commemorate the impact that fathers and father figures have in their children’s lives. While these men may share a common title, the word ‘father’ means something different to each of us.
This Father’s Day, CURA would not only like to celebrate our dads, but acknowledge all father figures as well. Here’s to foster dads, fathers we may have lost, step-dads, fathers in waiting, fathers who have lost their children, dads with strained relationships, birth fathers, fathers-in-law, grandfathers and any other father figures.
To celebrate Father’s Day and the CURAgeous father figures behind our CURA team members, we asked our team to share their favorite “dad jokes” or memory involving their dad!
My dad, Lawrence J. Beighey, was my entrepreneurial role model. After spending 25 years working for a big manufacturing company, it was bought by a larger company and all the upper management was let go. At that point, he risked everything he had financially to buy one factory that made large plastic buckets and paint cans. He spent the next decade growing that business, supporting 70 families, he would say—not just employing 70 people. He was approached after about 10 years by a buyer, negotiated an amazing deal and made a pretty profit. He was the consummate businessman. Believed in hard work and treating people with respect from the “board room to the boiler room,” he would say. He had a million other adages that have stuck with me. I’m so grateful that he took the time to write them down in his self-published advice book, “A drop in the bucket.” Each of the 50 short chapters was a different “drop” of advice. A few stand outs:
- Life is a contact sport: Maintain a great network.
- If you want something done, give it to a busy person.
- It’s easier to get forgiveness than it is permission.
- Never be afraid to offer to little or ask for too much.
- Don’t just play the game, make something happen.
- If you have not touched it in two years, throw it out.
- Give your kids roots and wings: Provide deep roots for your children in a strong family but also try to instill in them the wings to fly away on their own.
- Take counsel: Listen to the opinions of as many other people as you can, especially those who have lots of knowledge and education on a subject.
-Anne Woodbury, CEO and Founder on dad Lawrence J. Beighey
My dad has never been one to shy away from a challenge. No matter what obstacles arise, he faces them head-on, always wearing a smile. He taught me the value of relationships, how to find humor in everything, the ‘right way’ to do math and how to always be the loudest person in a room. One of my favorite things about my dad is that he sings in the car, even though he never knows the words. He makes up song lyrics and harmonies that seem like they fit into the song, just because he wants to feel included and make everyone laugh. He even adapted the song “Luka” to fit my brother’s name in it, singing, “My name is Jacob, and I live on the second floor” so often that up until recently, my brother didn’t even realize it was an actual song. For what my dad lacks in hair, he makes up for in humor. Happy Father’s Day to my favorite guy!
-Natalie Miller, Former Intern, on dad Jason Miller
Some of my favorite memories from childhood involved getting ready for school in the morning with my dad. Every morning, we would have a race to see who could finish their cereal first, and every morning my dad would beat me easily with time to spare. I used to ponder what he could possibly be doing to beat me each time and I tried multiple different strategies to get the better of him to no avail. It wasn’t until I finally asked him what his secret was that I learned the simple trick he used to beat me every time: A bigger spoon.
-Collin Walden on dad Jeff Walden
On days like Father’s Day, we recognize our dads not just for their formal title, but for their role in selflessly shaping us into who we are today. My dad is someone who has really excelled in all of the duties not enumerated upon in the typical “girl dad” list of responsibilities: he made sure I had a healthy respect for “real music” (Led Zeppelin, America, The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd…), he taught me to be loyal to our home team even though they haven’t won a Superbowl since the 90’s, and when I locked myself in my bathroom before senior prom because I thought my hair was ugly, he faced my teenage girl meltdown without flinching as he stood on the other side of the door and told me I looked beautiful anyway. And whenever those meltdowns came—and I’m sure he remembers many more of them than I do—he would always say: “Just remember: The sun is warm, the grass is green.” … A line he borrowed from Mr. Miyagi of “The Karate Kid.” Thanks, dad, for always being my Mr. Miyagi, and braving fatherhood in an equally fearless way.
-Anna Easterbrooks on dad Rick Patrick
My dad is Mark Atchison. We have a lot in common, from DNA, sports, our college alma mater, our love for plants and our affinity for Wendy’s fries. I’m extremely grateful to my dad for his wisdom, guidance, love, support and of course, his infamous dad jokes.
Of his many dad jokes, one of his favorite lines is, “I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’.” He uses it in many scenarios, but especially whenever he’s letting you know that something you’re doing/saying/thinking is silly, and you will be judged if you keep doing/saying/thinking aforementioned something silly.
-Devon Atchison on dad Mark Atchison
They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree – and that’s definitely the case with me and my dad. My best friend & biggest supporter, he is the one who cheers me on and pushes me to accomplish things I didn’t even know were possible. My dad loves to call himself the comedian of the family, the votes still out for that one. Most mornings, my family group chat receives a “dad joke” he proudly found on Instagram the night before. Here are some of my favorites:
“Does anyone want a pack of dead batteries? They’re free of charge.”
“Did you know that before crowbars were invented… crows mostly drank alone?”
“I asked my dad why he decided to buy a boat – he said, ‘there was a sail.’”
-Andrea Merino on dad Eduardo Merino
My favorite thing about my dad is that he’s always encouraged my sister and I to be the best versions of ourselves in every part of our lives—in school, work and in our relationships with our friends and family. He’s always led by example and has given us a great roadmap for how we can live in a way that adds life to those around us. I know for a fact that I wouldn’t be who I am today if I hadn’t had him to look up to all my life!
My dad always has a joke handy for a time in need. While my cousin was in labor with her first child, he thought it would be a good idea to text her his favorite joke because he thought a good laugh would help speed things along.
“Two peanuts walk into a bar… one was a salted.”
-Alex Dinkel on dad Rick Dinkel
“Do it right the first time” – something my dad told me countless times growing up. Whether it’s making a first impression on a new acquaintance, fixing a broken sprinkler, or completing a work project – I always hear his voice giving me this advice. I may not always do it right the first time, but it’s a philosophy I try to live by. Happy Father’s Day to the patriarch of our family. He raised four strong men and is a loving Papa to seven grandchildren.
-Michael Lisowski on dad Robert Lisowski
I am my father’s daughter. My dad is the hardest working and most adventurous person I know. I inherited my love of travel and work ethic from my dad…and also my cheesy sense of humor. One of my favorite things about my dad is how much he loves making people laugh. He will go out of his way to put a smile on someone’s face. It’s so cute to see how happy he gets when someone laughs at some silly antic or joke of his.
Case in point, I am just like my father, the left photo above is a picture my dad sent me from a trip he took, and the photo on the right was one I took just a few days earlier on an entirely different trip I was taking with friends!
-Thy-Ann Nguyen on dad Tom Nguyen
The word that best describes my dad is selfless. I remember learning what the word selfless meant at one point growing up and thinking, “that perfectly describes my Dad.” My father always thinks of and puts the needs of his family, now by extension, his daughters-in-law and grandkids above his own. He has demonstrated selflessness in small ways and big ways throughout my life. When life threw curveballs, he has always been there to offer advice, a hug, or lend a helping hand in whatever way we needed it most.
-Scott Leezer on dad David Leezer
To continue getting to know our team, see how we celebrated Employee Health & Fitness Month with our physical and mental health routines and tips!
