On February 17, 2007, my father finally succumbed to his two year battle with colon cancer. He was 89, being born on July 30, 1917. He fought right up to the last 4 hours of his life. For those who knew Fred, they would have expected nothing less. He was a self made man with a will power that you would not believe. Some would call it stubbornness, obstinate, or hardheadedness, but it is only in the eyes of the beholder as their is a fine line between those four traits. Fortunately, it is one of the many traits I got from him.

He started traveling the world as a young man. Fred worked with the tobacco market. He spent much time in China and the Philippines running tobacco factories, and overseeing the growing of tobacco. When he came home, he bought 75 acres of heaven here in Edgecombe County, NC. He truly loved this farm, almost as much as he loved my mother.

Fred spent the entire World War II in several Japanese prisoner of war camps in China. He wasn't even a soldier. He was imprisoned because he was an American citizen in the wrong place at the wrong time, or was he? In one of these camps, he met some of my Mother's brothers, and then, when the Japanese combined the men and women together, he met my Mother. Being a country boy, he taught my Mother how to survive. One her "jobs" was milking goats for the Japanese officers, Fred taught her how to look around to be sure no one was watching and to get milk directly from the goats into her mouth so she could get some protein and sustenance.

He had various jobs in Rocky Mount as Mom wanted him near my Brother and I as we were being raised. Once we were gone from the house, he did what he truly wanted to do, and that was to travel the country in an 18 wheeler. Dad loved driving from the East coast to the West coast and continued to do so until he was 76. Even though he was still in great health, he gave it up at 76 because the Feds required a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) and he refused to jump through their hoops because he had been driving for 30+ years and felt anyone with that much experience should have been grandfathered in.

After he gave up the 18 wheeler, he worked on the farm helping my brother raise landscaping trees. Dad stayed very active until the cancer hit two years ago. He ran the skid steer loader digging trees, hauling dirt, etc. The cancer is the only thing that stopped him. And, it only stopped his body as it never stopped his mind. Near the end, his short term memory was completey gone, but he could tell you stuff that happened 20 years ago and could even tell you how to figure the pitch of a roof. The man was amazing.

I truly loved him, even though in my younger years we butted heads constantly because we were too much alike. We were both truly independent people who had strong convictions. Words could not change our minds, however, if you could prove by showing us, our minds were open to change, but it took proof, not words. However, in the late 80's, him and I finally came to an understanding and never had a cross word since.

One of the most important things he taught me was to judge people by their actions and character, and not their words or the color of their of skin. He also taught me to never risk the roof over my head, and to pay what bills needed to be paid. Take care of business. Do not let anyone keep you from your dreams and goals. Trust and respect is to be earned, and everyone is trying to separate you from your money.

to get his picture. Fred has no idea that this picture was taken. It was taken either right before or right after his cancer diagnosis. He was "overseeing" us working on his septic tank replacement.