A tribute to my father, Bill Bessette

[Guest Nicole]

My father, Bill Bessette, is a Marine veteran, a loving husband of 36 years, a father to my brother, sister and me, a grandfather to four, and a greatgrandfather as of this year.

He served his military time in Vietnam earning awards for his sharpshooting abilities.

He worked as a truck driver and bus driver until his retirement a few years ago. The amazing part about my dad is his heart. Although he has health issues, he tries to help others every chance he can. He volunteered the beginning of his retirement helping to build cabinets for the Jehovah’s Witnesses and traveled to Hawaii as a designated representative.

My fondest memory of my dad was when I was 13 and my brother and I were playing flashlight tag outside one summer night. My dad asked to join us and so we both counted. When we went to seek him, we couldn’t find him anywhere, so after seeking for 20 or 30 minutes, we went inside and asked our mom if he had come inside. She said he hadn’t, so we all went back outside together. We heard yelling coming from the front yard oak tree. There he was, 20 feet up. Problem was, he couldn’t get down! Lucky for him, our best friend was a firefighter and with the help of the local fire department, he was down rescued.

He taught me to always learn new things, always help others whenever you can, always do your best, be honest and be yourself. But above all, don’t take life too seriously, because you’ll never get out alive.

I’m so proud to call him dad. I love you dad!

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