Goodbye, For Now

Today, my dear friend and sister Alicia will say her final goodbye to her father. I cannot express the sadness and love that I feel for Alicia and her family, Dinger was an amazing man and he truly left an impression on everyone he met.

After fighting a rare form of cancer for 10 months, his time came on Friday September 30 just days shy of his 59th birthday. Alicia has written several amazing blogs about Dinger and this loss, I admire her strength and courage to share this experience. She wrote;

"Probably more well-known for his tough exterior than his sensitive heart, I was one of the few lucky ones that was able to know the true heart of my dad.  The picture that most get to see is one of his colorful language and gruff coaching style while on the football field or the temper that earned him the loving nick-name of "killer mike" amongst a small group of us kids.  But I knew the real Mike.  I knew the man that would do anything to attend every single football game that my brother played.  I knew the man that would pass up lucrative jobs to allow me to finish high school in one place.  I knew the man who never lost track of or was ashamed of his faith in God and I knew the man that was humble and loyal-sometimes to a fault.  I knew the man that was never too busy to help someone in need, never too busy to tell us how proud we made him or how much he loved us.  He loved country music, golfing, football, going to movies, and his family.  He was the greatest man I have ever known and I will forever be greatful for all of the memories and love that we were able to share over the last 29 years."

Dinger was always kind and generous to us Theta girls when the Heimerdingers would visit Arizona while we were in college. They have opened up their home to us on several occasions up in Denver and everyone knows that I love Mike :) Knowing that a wonderful man is gone too soon is a difficult thing to accept. My heart goes out to Alicia and Brian who will live with the memory of their father, and to Kathie who lives for this family.

Although I can't be in Nashville today for the services, my heart and prayers are with Alicia and her family as they say goodbye to Dinger. Faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love.