This past Wed my dad passed away. He had been very sick for the passed 3 years. He was no-longer the dad I grew up with and these years have been very tough on my mom. The following is the tribute I gave to him at his funeral.
Hi I am Josh Webb. Dann was my dad and I am going to share some memories I have of him.
I was concerned about even saying anything because speaking can be difficult right now and I might cry. But then I heard that my Dad spoke at his dad’s funeral. That was the kind of man my dad was. He did what he thought was right for others no matter how hard it was.
When I was a boy, he loved to watch old movies. We watched old Abbott and Costello and the Mark Brothers. We would sit on the couch eating whoppers and we would laugh as he would explain who they were and why they talked like that.
One of his favorites was Sherlock Holmes with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. We watched all of them together. He loved that and used to collect Sherlock Holmes memorabilia and his office was dedicated to it. Pipes, Old Violines, The first Sherlock Holmes book ever published.
He loved old things and how they used to work. He gave me all the music he loved. The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel and gave me his old record collection. I still listen to those records and watch those old movies with my sons. I do it because it's unique.
Unique is the word I would use to describe my dad. None could miss him in a room because he wouldn’t let them.
He was hilarious. I know many of you have experienced this and have your own stories. He didn’t really tell jokes, he just had such a quick wit that you had to stay on your toes to be around him. And if you didn’t get it, that's your fault. If you did, then he would have you rolling.
He had a great laugh that I have inherited. He doesn’t just laugh, he holds it all in and lets all at once. Haaahhh, If he really got to laughing, all the sudden his voice would go way up and he giggle and have a hard time catching his breath.
I once asked him why he spelled Dan with two N’s. He said that he did it because it looked great on a billboard. Dann Webb. By the way, he told me Josh Webb does that too.
He played guitar and tried to teach me on three different occasions. It wasn’t until I started to love music that he taught me my first three chords and I was off. I played guitar for years because of him teaching me.
Not only was he funny but he was direct. He always knew the right way to do something whether it was right or wrong.
To teach me to drive a stick, he took me to the steepest hill he knew of in front of a busy road and said “ok, I showed you how to do it, now go.” I was scared to death but I learned to drive a stick that day.
He got things quickly and loved to solve problems. He would always tell me when I was a kid that TV’s would be as flat as pictures one day. He loved to predict things and said “see I told ya” When he was right.
No matter who he was talking to, I noticed that he talked like them. Not in a weird way but in a way that says “Hey I’m one of you.” He loved helping people and he did for many.
He loved his country and made sure I knew that we lived in the best country in the world and that I should respect it. To this day I always take off my hat and place it on my heart when I hear the national anthem because he told me to.
Whenever I got in trouble, he ended the tough conversation by saying “Ya know I love ya” cause he wanted to make sure I knew.
When I graduated high school, he gave me a $20 bill and said that his dad did it for him and said it was the beginning of my life.
He was the most stubborn and likable guy I’ve ever met. To this day I have never met anyone like him. I love him and one of the reasons I am the man I am today.
