Remembering my father

My father had many wonderful sayings that I still try to live by. “If you lose, say little. If you win, say less.” “If you smile the whole world smiles with you. If you frown, you frown alone.” On those occasions when I would say something negative about a person, my father would say, “They spoke very highly of you.”

My father, Sherman Winthrop would have been 91 on Feb. 3, 2023. He died in 2005 of a malignant brain tumor. It was the same type of cancer John Mccain and Beau Biden died of. Even though it has been 17 years since my father died, I still miss him. My youngest son, Brandon, was born on Feb. 1. My father wanted Brandon to share his birthday.

My father was from Duluth, Minn., and graduated from the University of Minnesota and Harvard Law School. He used to reminisce about going to college with the late professional wrestler Verne Gagne. Gagne was always out of money, so my father gave him rides. My father knew the late Walter “Fritz” Mondale, and I used to take horseback riding lessons with his late daughter, Eleanor. Eleanor died of a malignant brain tumor. I have a beautiful note from Mondale in response to a note I wrote him after my father died.

My father was a huge sports fan. That is where my love of sports comes from. Growing up, my family had two season tickets to the Minnesota Vikings. At times, I attended some incredible Vikings games at Metropolitan stadium. I had the opportunity to watch the “Purple People Eaters” Alan Page, Carl Eller, Gary Larsen and Jim Marshall. Page and Eller are in the Football Hall of Fame, and Larsen and Marshall played in two pro bowls. After his football career, Eller founded substance abuse clinics in the Twin Cities. Page served on the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1993 until his retirement in 2015. Marshall is famous for running the wrong way after recovering a fumble while playing the 49ers on Oct. 25, 1964, in San Francisco. His teammates enjoyed teasing him about that one. Marshall told the Minneapolis Star: “They kept telling me to get up in the cockpit and fly the plane, that way we will end up in Hawaii instead of Minnesota.”

My father had many wonderful sayings that I still try to live by. “If you lose, say little. If you win, say less.” “If you smile the whole world smiles with you. If you frown, you frown alone.” On those occasions when I would say something negative about a person, my father would say, “They spoke very highly of you.”

My father was an incredible person. He was loved by so many, and when he died it was a huge loss. He was considered a “gentlemanly” attorney and treated everyone with compassion and respect. He was an incredible listener and patient. I was his oldest and only daughter and cannot remember my father ever raising his voice.

I knew something was wrong when my father lost his cool during a phone call. He never did that. It was soon after that my father was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. The last year of my father’s life was tough. It was hard to watch the decline, though it was beautiful to watch my father’s interaction with my sons. He would sit and watch them swim, and even though his memory and speech were declining he could talk to them. There was no pressure, just love.

My father died on June 6, 2005, after a yearlong battle with cancer. I do regret not spending more time with my father his last year of life. Though I do not regret spending a week with my father while he was in hospice.

I believe my father’s smile, warmth, hugs, and love will always be a special memory for me. I believe in my heart and soul that it is because of my father’s love and guidance that I have matured into the woman I am.

I know my father is looking down on me and smiling.