I would like to thank John Butterfield (third from the left), Art King (third from the right), and the Kennewick, Washington, Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars for performing a memorial service for my Dad, Jack Day. Both Mom & I deeply appreciate everything you have done.

As some of you know, my Dad passed away at age 92 on December 5th, and was then cremated shortly after. It seems like a long time after Dad’s death to have a memorial service, but we wanted to wait until better weather so Mom would feel more comfortable traversing the mountain passes to travel home for a memorial service and burial.

Mom hasn’t felt able to travel as we had hoped, so we decided to do a memorial service where I live, where Mom & Dad moved from Boise, Idaho, over two years ago, now.

Dad was born June 4, 1923, to Gus and Mina Day, in Spokane, Washington, and grew up on their horse ranch in Mica, Washington, with his brother Ainse, sister Dorothy, and their uncle Bid.

Dad and his brother, Ainse, worked in Spokane, Seattle, and Alaska, as young men, until joining the military during World War II.

Dad enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1943 as a Sergeant, and participated in the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II.

Dad met Mom after his military service concluded, while he was home visiting his parents, who had by then moved to Paradise, Montana, where they had opened the Nip and Sip Cafe.

Dad & Mom were married in Missoula, Montana, on December 14, 1946. Dad passed away just a few days before their 69th wedding anniversary.

Dad was a life-long automobile enthusiast and owned and managed automobile dealerships in Utah, Montana, Oregon, and Idaho, until retiring at age 76.

Dad and Mom were long-time Boise, Idaho, residents, and they loved living there "Where the people are friendly, and it was fun to see someone you knew when you walked down the street."

Mom and Dad have been lifelong members of the United Methodist Church, and attended the Cathedral of the Rockies in Boise for over 48 years.

Dad was preceded in death by his son, Robert Day (above left), and is survived by his daughter in-law, JoAnne Day, his wife Jaine Day (Mom, above right), his son, Jeff Day (me, the little guy), his grandchildren Chris & Matt Day, and his great-grandchildren, Chloe & Liam Day.

When Dad & Mom moved here by me, it was really nice to spend more time with them, and we particularly enjoyed having dinners together at my house on weekends.

When Dad got sick and became non-responsive last December, I stayed with him 24 hours a day, holding his hand to comfort him, until he breathed his last breath on the evening of December 5th.

Dad’s final resting place will be in Plains, Montana, next to family.

In the photo below that's Rocky, Aunt Mae, Grandpa Gus, Grandma Mina, and Uncle Ainse. They are all buried in the Plains Cemetery.

I’d like to acknowledge the important role the VFW plays in the lives of so many of our veterans and their families, making a difference in so many tangible ways, like the memorial service the Kennewick Post of the VFW did for us.

The VFW has been important to us as a family over many years, and our family involvement in the VFW goes all the way back to WWII, when my Grandfather, Mom’s Father, who was nicknamed ‘Sailor’ because he was in the Navy, was the first member of, and a Chaplain for, the Plains, Montana, post of the VFW.

Both Dad & Mom joined the Plains Post of the VFW after they got married in 1946. Mom was a Color Bearer in the Ladies Auxiliary, and Dad was a member of the Men’s Barracks.

My Great Uncle, Erv Day, my Grandfather, Gus Day, and my Uncle, Ainse Day, were also members of the VFW, and were all WWII veterans, with Erv serving at, and surviving, the Battle of Iwo Jima. They're all buried in the cemetery in Plains.

The VFW Posts in small rural communities are often a center of community activity. Dad & Mom helped the Plains Post of the VFW with veterans’ funerals, with Dad helping with the military honors, and Mom helping cook big dinners for those attending. They also met monthly, and with the ladies always providing food for the meetings, you can imagine it was a popular event!

The VFW also encouraged other organizations to hold their meetings at the VFW Post to increase the sense of community. All the Plains class reunions were held at the VFW, dances were held there too, and they had a big kitchen and dance floor that got a lot of use for community activities. Later on they even installed a bowling alley.

The VFW was involved in both of Mom’s parents’ funerals, Eva & Sailor, and Dad’s family’s funerals, for his Uncle Erv, his brother Ainse, and his Father, Gus.

With this ceremony, plus the upcoming ceremony & burial for Dad in Plains, Montana, by the Plains Post of the VFW, our involvement with the VFW will have come full circle.

I would like to thank the Kennewick Post of the VFW again for joining us to remember my Dad, Jack Day.

God bless you all.