My Stepfather

My stepfather, Gene Cashman, passed away last night at the age of 89.

He came into my life 43 years ago, when he didn’t have to. My father had died two years earlier, and becoming the stepfather of a 13 year old with an excess nervous energy resulting from a thyroid condition which I had during high school must have been quite a challenge. Still, he demonstrated the love, patience, and understanding of a saint, and he taught me much by his great example. We often disagreed on little things, but he taught me compassion, love, and responsibility, regardless of the methods which we chose to carry out our paths through life.

Gene outlived three wives, all of whom he loved and cared for to the end. He understood the balance of life, and prioritization of what is important. When I recently started taking ballroom dance lessons, he was more proud and happier for me than he would have been if I’d won the lottery or been elected to the U.S. Senate. He always enjoyed dancing, and he encouraged my enjoyment of spending quality time on the dance floor.

He truly never met a stranger. Gene was always the sort of man who could enter a room full of people who he had never met before, and within an hour he could tell you the life story of half the people there, and he would have made a lasting, positive impression on them all. His love of life, and eagerness to do and be, rather than to sit back and watch took him through many enjoyable experiences, and gave him many wonderful friendships.

I miss him already, and his loss will be felt by many. I have a feeling that he is already organizing a game of bridge for the angels, however, and he will continue to brighten the lives of those who knew and remember him.

So long, Pa. Thanks for being a great father to me. I’ll always love you.

Eugene Jesse Cashman, July 12, 1917 – September 10, 2006
He had a great Dash.