34th Anniversary

34 years ago today, I married my sweetheart in the Mesa Arizona Temple.  It's hard to believe that 34 years has gone by so fast. I'm excited to see where the future takes us.  Life is an adventure, you never know what lies ahead of you.  

 DOUG, I LOVE YOU!

My Dad's Life Sketch

This is what I read at my Father's funeral, January 7, 2011

Kennon Duane Laird was born January 23, 1935 in Olton,  Texas to George Dubert Laird and Sabra Lois Williams.

Dad and his family lived in Texas until he reached the age of 7 years old.  His family moved to California and at that time his family consisted of his parents and younger brother Eldon.  My dad said, “We lived in Pomona long enough for me to fall from a walnut tree.  I fell on my head and almost killed myself.  Once again, I had done something Dad told me not to do, that was ‘don’t climb the trees’!”

April 12, 1942 my Dad and his family moved to Cypress, California.  He went to elementary school in Cypress and graduated Anaheim High School in 1953.  He was a football player, participated in 4H as well as Future Farmers of America.  He attended Cal Poly for 3 years until he met and married Ramona Marie Blevins.  They married April 12, 1957. They had three children: Karen Marie, LaDonna Jean and Roger Duane.

Dad and his young family lived in Cypress, Lawndale and later settled in Redondo Beach for approx. 14 years.  Many times missionaries came to our home.  My Dad’s grandmother, my great-grandmother, was a member of the Church, and my parents suspected that she had something to do with the missionaries coming.  However, my mother shooed the missionaries away on numerous occasions.  In October 1968 the missionaries came to our home and to my mother’s surprise or dismay…my dad invited the missionaries in.  Before the elders left, my parents invited them back.  When they left my mother asked, “Why did you let them in?”  My Dad said, “I don’t know…I just did.”  December 21, 1968 (2 months later) our family was baptized and confirmed members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Elder Bill Cook and Elder Lee England.  My brother was baptized years later by my father.  February 21, 1970 our family was sealed as an eternal family in the Los Angeles Temple. 

Our family absorbed the gospel and we grew as a family.  Dad especially loved working with the youth and in the Scouting program.  He loved camping with his family, scouts and his son.  I know Dad and Roger had fond memories of being together.  Dad was famous for making homemade ice cream and bringing it to church activities and later became known as Brother Ice Cream.   I remember my dad always being there for anyone who needed any type of help, especially anything that needed to be repaired.  Dad had a wealth of knowledge and if he didn’t know about it…he read and learned about it.  He enjoyed reading books about how to fix things, anything military and about trucks, especially the 1956 Ford Truck.

As a youth my Dad had many jobs, ranging from butchering and delivering chickens at Lucan’s poultry to throwing hundreds of pounds of watermelons into the back of a truck.  Dad worked for Standard Oil for many years, later he became a catering truck driver and a perfectionist as a handyman.  Dad was in the National Guard for 17 years and was a Master Sergeant.  When in the guard you are required to give 2 weeks for training.  At one of the guard camps he was cleaning his 45.  Unfortunately it wasn’t properly unloaded and went off and shot his left middle finger off.  It was reattached and the one thing Dad was proud of was that he had an asymmetrical peace sign.  His middle finger was the same length as his index finger.  He had fun showing it off.

Our family lived in Redondo Beach, California until the summer of 1976 when we moved to Mesa.  My father built his first home himself near Greenfield and Brown.  He was so proud of his accomplishments unfortunately he did not get to live there very long due to getting divorced, after almost 22 years of marriage.  I know from listening to my Dad that he loved my mother to the very end.  He never remarried, yes he had lady friends, but in my heart I know he loved my mother.  He even had her picture at his bedside.

In 1981, my Dad was not here in Arizona.  He was in Tennessee for about 10 years and we did not get the opportunity to see or visit with him.  During these 10 years he became a poet and artist.  Out in the foyer you will see a display of his artwork and a book of his collection of poems, quotes and stories.  On the inside of the program is one of his poems.

In the early 90’s he returned to California to care for his mother until her passing in 1996.  Later in the mid to late 90’s he began doing wood work.  He made LaDonna and I a rolled top jewelry box and I believe Alisa has one too.  He also made boxes that he pieced together.  He loved working with the wood and enjoyed giving them as gifts to family and friends.  I remember the last few boxes he gave away, one to his Cardiologist and another to his Family Practice Doctor.  It brought him joy giving these boxes away and there are some examples of his boxes on display as well.  During this time he also became involved in Kung Fu.  He loved going to Kung Fu and greeting the entire class by shaking their hands.  He had fun sparing with other students perfecting his moves.  Dad liked to show people how to get out of sticky situations by doing simple moves.  He had a lot of fun with his Kung Fu.  Dad was a 7^th degree black belt.  Today we were given a certificate from Master Larry, Dad is now a Kung Fu Master.

Dad was known for his stories and jokes.  One story he told often took place during the Watts riots in Southern California.  The National Guard was called into active duty and this was a very scary time.  On one patrol, he and his platoon were securing a neighborhood.  One of the guards saw something and my dad went to secure the area with the other guard.  Once the area was secured, my dad noticed that the platoon was nowhere to be found because he forgot to halt them.  So, he said to the other guard, “You go on the other side of the street to cover me and I’ll stay on this side to cover you.”  The guard responded and said, “Hey Sarge, spread out and look like a platoon.” 

When Dad smiled his eyes twinkled and his face lit up.  You could see pure joy in his face.  My Dad was a happy man with a positive disposition.  He was also a very sensitive man.  If he heard a sad story or a story about love, he would tear up and cry. 

In March 2005, my sister, Ladonna and I moved Dad back to Mesa.  During these 5 1/2 plus years each of us children have been given the opportunity to be with our father.  I can tell you that my Dad was a social butterfly, he never met a stranger.  He was kind, friendly, sensitive and loved going out to lunch.  His favorite restaurant is Garcia’s over here on Gilbert and University.  When he was able to, he would ride his scooter to Garcia’s and eat by himself or he would go out with someone, either me, LaDonna, Roger or one his friends.  Going to lunch was the highlight of his day.  I think one reason he enjoyed it so much was that he was able to do his random act of kindness.  He would look around the restaurant or ask us to look for someone that we could buy their meal (for the entire table).  He would give Juana, his favorite server, a card that read, “You have just been treated to a random act of kindness.  Your meal has been paid for. Your only obligation is to give the server a generous tip.  Have a nice day.  A Friend”.  Dad would pay the bill and wait to see the people’s reaction.  As his eyesight deteriorated he would ask us to tell him what the reactions were.  He loved doing this.  It was his way of giving back.  When family and friends came to visit, he would ask if they’ve ever had fried ice cream and if they hadn’t he would introduce it to them when he took them to Garcia’s.  I want to thank Garcia’s for all the candy mints that Dad put into his pockets!  He was known to give out mints during church to his friends and tossing them across the aisle to families in the ward.  So a big thank you to Garcia’s for funding his mint habit!  And about 2 weeks before his passing he said to me, “I want to go to Garcia’s”. 

These past few months were difficult yet Dad stayed positive, you never saw him get down in the dumps.  He loved his caregivers and they loved him.  They would tell me, “He’s a sweet man” or one would say to him, “Hey, Karate kid how are you doing today?”  He loved the visits from family and friends.  I know it made his days go better and it boosted him up. 

Over these past few months Dad and I had a little competition going.  I would say, “I love you” and he would say, “I love you more”.  And each time I came he would say, “I love you more” or “I love you more, more, more” before I could say, “I love you”.  So finally one day I said, “Dad, I love you more than the stars in the sky!”  He said, “Wow, that’s a lot of stars” and started to cry.

My dad loved his family, his Ward family, his Kung Fu family and his friends.  He loved the gospel and was striving to do what is right. 

Kennon Duane Larid passed away Dec 31, 2010 and is survived by his children: Karen Pelley, LaDonna Magnusson and Roger Laird; his 7 grandchildren; Justin Magnusson, 
Landon Magnusson, Alisa Magnusson, Heidi Magnusson, Danelle Laird, Darian Laird and Derek Laird; and his 2 great-grandchildren; Zachary Magnusson and Aurelie Magnusson.

In Honor of My Dad

This year, 2010 has been a rough one for my dad.  Over these past several months, my dad has had some medical problems.  In and out of the hospital was almost a monthly occurrence.  It's been difficult to see him losing his eyesight, not being able to stand or walk more than a couple of steps.  It was especially difficult when I left to go to my Scentsy convention at the end of July.  I worried about him and his physical well-being.

When I returned from Denver, dad became less ambulatory, getting him into the car was a challenge.  On one of our many doctor visits my brother and I could not get him into the car.  This was the beginning of him slipping away from us.  Once we got him home with the help of medial transportation, we were not home more than 30 minutes when he began to complain about the severe pain he was in.  I called 911 and had him taken to the hospital.  He was in Banner Baywood hospital for a week before it was discovered that his problems were neurological and this required him needing a neurosurgeon.  Dad was transported to Banner Desert to have back surgery.

After the surgery his pain was more manageable, but he could not stand for more than 10 to 15 seconds.  As a result he could not come home and had to go into rehabilitation.  During his rehab he did not improve and we had to make other arrangements.  My sister, LaDonna, and I went to several facilities to find one that was acceptable to us and had the best care for dad.  It was a tough decision, however we did find the best and the staff amazing.

Dad moved into Emerald Groves October 16, 2010.  Even though he could not stand or even sit in a chair for any length of time...he was a happy man.  He really did not complain, and for that I am truly grateful!  One thing I did promise my dad, and that was that I would see him every day.  I did my best and I can honestly say that when I could not be there he understood.  I believe I only missed 7 visits in his 2 1/2 month stay at Emerald Groves.

The last week of his life is a sweet and dear memory for me.  As I write this, I hope those who read understand the love and care that was shared during these last few days.

• Monday, Dec 26th - Dad had not been eating well so I bought a Subway sub and he ate 1/4  of it.  We had a nice visit.  Dad was concerned about LaDonna and her family as they were traveling to France for a vacation.  There was a major blizzard on the east coast and dad was concerned for their safety.  To reassure him, I asked him if he would like to call LaDonna and he said yes.  I dialed the phone knowing that she may not answer due to her traveling, but it made dad feel good knowing he was calling to check on her.
• Tuesday, Dec 27th - Came to visit dad for lunch and I brought him a Jr Whopper.  I was amazed that he ate most of it.  We had a very nice visit...I said, "Dad, I love you!" and he said, "I love you more!"
• Wednesday, Dec 28th - Received a phone call from hospice and was told that dad was actively passing away.  I picked up Roger to go visit with dad.  He asked if his eyesight would get better and I sadly had to tell him no.  After a little bit I told him that I would see him tomorrow.   He said, "Tomorrow?"  I said, "Do you want me to come back later today?" "Yes", he said.  So Roger and I left for a bit, knowing that time was passing.  We went and had a lunch together.  I asked Roger if he would go with me to Bunkers Funeral Home to begin funeral arrangements.  After making the necessary arrangements, Roger and I returned to see dad.  
• Thursday, Dec 29th - Came to visit dad about 4pm.  I went to his ear, as I always did, and said, "Dad, I'm here. I love you!"  He said, "I love you more!"  I sat down in the chair next to him and after about 20 minutes he said, "I don't want to get on the train!"  I got up and went to his ear and said, "You don't want to get on the train?"  He said, "No".  I asked him, "Why?"  He said, "I don't want to."  Again I sat down letting him rest and about 5:30pm I went to his ear and said, "Dad I have to go now."  He said, "When can I go?" I said, "Dad, you can go any time you want to go!"
• Friday, Dec 30 - I received phone call from hospice about 15 minutes past midnight.  Dad was non responsive.  I immediately went to Emerald Groves.  I went to dad's ear and said, "Dad I'm here, I love you."  The CNA said, "Karen, he said I love you more."  I could not hear it, but she saw his mouth move.  I hugged and kissed him and told him it was ok to go and be with Great, his mother, his father and his brothers.  And with all the energy he had he said, "I don't want to!"  My father LOVED life.  He did not want to leave us and his friends. I stayed with dad all night and left at 10:30am.  I knew it was time.  I left and went to buy his burial clothes.  I went home, had lunch, and rested.  I returned about 4pm and I went to his ear and said, "Dad I'm here. I love you."  There was no response.  At about 4:50pm I went into dad's walk-in closet to call Roger.  I did not want any chatter in dad's room, because I know the last sense you lose is your hearing.  And even though he was hard of hearing, I didn't want any thing to disrupt the peacefulness of that room.  After about 15 minutes I existed the closet to find that my dad had passed away.  

My Dad: Kennon Laird

Born: January 23, 1935

Died: December 31, 2010

Dad, I love you more!