When I think of my father, I think of music. Music was not only his livelihood for most of his career, but also his passion. As a band instructor, he could play any instrument. However, his own specialties were the violin and saxophone.
Dad was my instructor as a beginner on the flute and, before that, the piano for a very short time. (I did not like to practice two instruments, so Dad gave up on the piano.) I don’t know why, but Dad especially loved to work with beginners. The squeaks and squawks did not bother him. I think he loved the challenge and the early evidence of progress that inspired a student to want to practice even more. I know Dad instilled the love of music in enough students to cause them to make it their career choice. Every one of his children played an instrument and several of his grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. What a legacy!
Dad also sang and had a deep bass voice which you would not expect looking at him because he was small in stature. He directed the choir at our church for many years, and he and Mom sang or sang and played for many events. Dad was also a member of a Norwegian men’s singing group call the Luren Singing Society in Decorah, IA which traveled to Norway frequently. Dad and Mom made the trip with the group twice.
As is often the case, Dad also taught math, history, vocal music, and even coached when needed by the smaller school districts that employed him in Iowa, Arizona, and Colorado. The summer before my seventh grade we moved to Decorah, Iowa, where my dad was hired to teach seventh grade math. (Yes, I had my dad as my math teacher!) My classmates tell me that Dad was patient and kind to them and those are the traits they remember. I remember that my twin sister and I got no special help nor sneak peeks at test results.
I think I inherited my love of numbers and math from my father as well as my desire to help people understand them. In my case, however, I chose to apply math via the world of investments and financial planning. The book I wrote during the COVID isolation, How to Dress a Naked Portfolio: A Tailored Introduction to Investing for Women, is my attempt to help beginners understand the world of investing. I also love to share my knowledge by teaching so perhaps that, too, came from Dad. I can’t say that I inherited his patience, however.
Although I think it may have been a passion for my dad before it was for my mom, travel was important to them. Whether it was to visit family or explore new places in the United States, my parents enjoyed the opportunity. I think of my dad as an adventurer, and he instilled the passion for travel in all his children. All five of us took it a step further, however. Some lived overseas for periods of time, and some traveled extensively. Our combined list of visited and explored countries is lengthy and growing.
Dad, the son of a minister, and Mom were deeply religious and devout Christians. I was brought up to attend church and Sunday school and church again on Sunday night. I was active in the church youth group. Although I no longer belong to a religious denomination, I am a spiritual person, and my religious upbringing had an impact on my life choices.
This is how I picture my dad, who died many years ago: he had little hair but always a mustache, he was more comfortable in a suit than in shorts (and never a t-shirt), he loved to chew on a toothpick, and he absent-mindedly made a kind of whistling humming noise through his teeth. I rarely heard him raise his voice. He was a strict disciplinarian at home but had difficulties in the class or band room. If he was not grading papers, he was tracking household expenses, helping Mom in the garden, or reading the Bible. He was not perfect, but he was my father. I miss you, Dad!
Happy Father’s Day to all dads everywhere and happy heavenly Father’s Day to you, Dad!
Beverly J Bowers, CFP®
