Alysson Reese
My daddy was the sweetest man, and everyone who knew him thought so. He taught by example, and he lived the gospel message of “love your neighbor” and “lay down your life for your friends.” As a police officer, he encountered many who needed help, and he never failed to give help where he could. He had a patrol route in the projects for a time, and he knew families who couldn’t afford medicine for their sick kids, so my dad would take them Tylenol, bandaids, crayons, coloring books, food, a stuffed animal or doll. He took me along on his secret gift missions, and I learned to love the poorest of the poor because of him. He was a man of sacrifice and worked multiple jobs to ensure we had a good, Catholic education. He loved the outdoors, and he loved going fishing at his family’s lake. Sometimes, he’d say he was hunting, but, he loved animals and was always rescuing one instead. He just enjoyed being out in the woods. He loved tinkering under the hood of his antique, green, Willis Jeep truck. He’d let me help him, and, while I talked his ear off, he’d just listen and let me chatter. And then he’d get me a coke and some candy, and we’d take a test drive together. He was kind, quiet, and never complained. He liked Jethro Tull and JRR Tolkien. He was a hobbit at heart, never without his coffee, a pipe, some tobacco, and a pocket handkerchief. Fittingly, his grandchildren called him the Old Took and said he looked like Magnum P.I. Steve Cook was the best of men, wonderful and beloved, a true hero, and he will be forever missed.
