A Delightful, Inspiring Story of Familial Love and Faith

Here's a review I received yesterday by Charlene S. Rubush, “author and book lover” (Donalsonville, Georgia)(5 stars)
June 11, 2008

*****
My Funny Dad, Harry
by Karen Arlettaz Zemek

If only everyone were lucky enough to have a devoted father and true family man like Harry! Zemek's love, respect, and gratitude for her dad shines through in this sweet book. Harry, a product of the Depression, had quirky habits that will have you chuckling.

Anyone's who's had a parent who lived through the Depression, should be able to relate to Harry's thrifty ways. From saving junk mail to make notepads, to keeping orange juice cartons to convert into drawers, Harry wasted nothing.

Zemek's use of photos throughout the book, gives the reader an up-close look at Harry's ingenuity, plus provides a feeling of familiarity with Harry, his wife, Lenore, his daughter, son-in-law, foster-children, and his many beloved cats.

As Harry grew old, he stubbornly refused his daughter's offer of moving in with she and her husband, preferring to stay in his own home, taking care of his numerous beloved cats, right up until his death. We can feel Karen's anguish and concern, as she comes to terms with his inevitable decline.

As I read Zemek's book, there were many ah-ha moments where I'd get a lump in my throat, as I saw flickers of my own mom and dad, now deceased. But Zemek always manages to bring out the bright side of life. By the time I closed the book, I'd come to love Harry and his family. They are a fine example of those "salt-of-the-earth" caring, Christian people who hold this country together. I applaud Karen for taking the time to write this book. It's a fun, touching read. Harry would be so proud.

(This is an excerpt of the review--for full review, please look under the cutomer reviews on Amazon.com)

Must Read for Those Who Enjoy Memoirs

Here is a book review I received yesterday from Cindy Oldham:

Cindy Oldham

**************************
My Funny Dad, Harry
By
Karen Arlettaz Zemek


‘My Funny Dad, Harry” is a unique, interesting collection of memories about a gentle man who was a devoted husband and father. His daughter, author Karen Arlettaz Zemek leads us through the early years of her life and shows us how she and her father had a special bond that continued growing throughout their lives.

Mrs. Zemek allows the reader to share in her father’s love of cats through the many pictures sprinkled through the book and the memories that are tied to how he loved and cared for them. She portrays her father thoughtfully and eloquently as she became his caregiver during the last years of his life. This is a memoir that allows the reader to meet her father and is a loving tribute to his life and the many memories his daughter chose to share with the world.

This book is a pleasure to read and will make you smile and laugh as well as bring a tear to your eyes as you read this lovingly crafted memoir. My Funny Dad, Harry is a must read for those who enjoy memoirs.

(For more reviews, check out "My Funny Dad, Harry" at Amazon.com and after reading, be sure to participate in the book discussion on Amazon at the bottom of the book detail page. Thank you!)

Make Things Easier For Those Left Behind When You Die

My dad was very thoughtful and considerate of others, especially me. Here is a list of things he did after my mom died that made things a bit easier for me after he died that may be something you should think about doing too if you have family members you can trust:

1. Put my name on the house too using a survivorship deed.

2. Titled his car in both our names.

3. Added my name to his bank accounts--both savings and checking.

4. Kept important papers in file cabinet and let me help name the files.

5. With a marker, he put the year the furnace and water heaters were installed.

6. On his calendars, he would mark the days he made repairs and carried them forward from one year to the next.

7. He told me where he hid his money that he had in the house.

8. He preplanned and prepaid for most of his funeral expenses, including the casket, the grave marker, the vault and opening the grave. I was with him when he did this.

9, He gave me a key to his house.

10. He gave me his will as executor.

11. He saved an advertisement for me that he had in the dining room for a company that buys houses cheap "as is" and then takes care of cleaning them out and resells it. (I did call, but they never responded promptly so I gave up on them and cleaned everything out myself.)

My dad and I were very close and I would never think of stealing from him or cheating him in any way so he was able to do these things.

Bio of Harrington Arlettaz, My Funny Dad!

(Copied from my Amazon blog--8:00 AM PST, December 6, 2007, updated at 1:57 PM PST, December 21, 2007)

Harry’s father was a linguist who came to this country from Switzerland. He died when my dad was just 3 yrs. old. He got run over by a street car! Harry’s mom never remarried and raised Harry and his younger sister, Dorothy, on her own with the help of her sisters. His sister moved to Boston so they never had much contact with each other once they were adults.

Harry grew up in Cleveland, Ohio but did take a trip to Florida before he got married. Harry attended West Tech High School but didn’t graduate due to his stubborn streak. He flatly refused to do a required book report that was on a fiction book he had no interest in reading. Harry did read a lot though, but only from books that he could learn how to do things (many of which I sold on eBay after he died).

Harry never served in the armed forces because the draft board rejected him because he couldn’t pass their physical. He had flat feet and was told he had Diabetes. He had worked in a bicycle shop and on a production line. His job was making knots. Harry learned Morse Code and was a ham radio operator for awhile. He became a box designer at St. Regis Paper Company where he worked along with his wife (she was in payroll). He got hired because he knew how to use a slide rule and won many awards for his designs through the years. He worked there until retirement.

Harry and Lenore (his wife) met at a church youth group social. She was one of the planners and he was attracted to her outgoing personality. She commented to one of her friends, “Wow, Harrington Arlettaz, what a name. I feel sorry for whomever he marries!” Little did she know at the time it would be her! (Her name then was Niemann--German descent.)

After Harry and Lenore were married, at first they lived in the spacious upstairs of his mother’s house. Harry built their first home by himself in Garrettsville, Ohio. After Lenore saw a mouse in the house one day, they had to move. She said she couldn’t live in a house with a mouse! That’s when they moved to a ranch house in Parma, Ohio.

This is some background on Harry. The book, My Funny Dad, Harry starts from this point on. I’ve included this here after hearing from Cathy, my best friend growing up, that she wished I included my dad’s bio in the book. She told me he was the only person she knew who actually used a slide rule and was very impressed by that.

Foreword of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

MY FUNNY DAD, HARRY

FOREWORD


I have so many funny memories of things my dad, Harrington Arlettaz (Harry), did that I decided to write this book in his memory as a tribute to him. This book is not only about my dad, but also about me, life and aging and how we deal with it. I kept a day-by-day journal since the end of 1999 from which I picked out the funny things that happened and formed this book as well as thinking back and drawing from my memories. I never thought I would write a book until he died. It was a way for me to handle my grief and helped me to really think about what a special man he was. Also, I couldn't sleep through the night because thoughts about things he did kept coming in my head and I thought how easy it would be to write them down and put them in a book. Even the title came to me so I started writing and this book became a reality. I hope it brings a smile to your face, maybe gives you some pointers and even makes you laugh out loud.

My dad lived from December 9, 1917 to February 16, 2007. He was around before TV and lived to see the digital age of high tech. He even got to use a computer! He truly was a Godly, wonderful husband and father. I hope you enjoy the humorous side I am sharing with you in this book as well as some of the tender moments we shared. Everything in here really did happen. He was an amazing man, absolutely one of a kind! Perhaps you too will learn some things from him just as I have.

Having grown up through the Depression, Harry was a king of pack rats. He saved EVERYTHING, but in an organized way. It just took me awhile to figure out his system. If something broke, he would save it because he planned to fix it. For example, Dad was very excited about getting a new microwave and so proud of himself for researching it out and getting exactly the right one. The next day, Gerard and I took groceries to dad and got him to move the old microwave off the counter at least. I thought maybe he'd let Gerard put it by the front door so it would be easy to take out when "the weather broke." But no, he told us to leave it in the dining room for now. I told Gerard "I'm not saying anymore about it, but you watch, he won't throw it away." I was right, he never did!

He just ran out of space and didn't get to everything he wanted to do; consequently, his house was full of clutter when he died. This motivated me to learn how to sell items on eBay, but I had to try things out first to make sure they worked.

Harry truly exemplified the man described in Micah 6:8: "He hath shewed thee, O man what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (KJV)

My dad was a very quiet and private person. That's why it is so ironic that I am sharing him with you through this book. My mom's side of the family were big and loud and my dad was quite the opposite. Mom was always the one who liked to read and talked about writing a book some day.

Harry's priorities were as follows:

Trust in the Lord and Help Others

Be Warm and Comfortable

Family

Working with his hands (like all the time)

Learning

Cats and other Animals

Notice that sports, appearance, cleaning and what others think don't even make the list. These things were totally unimportant to him which made him the unique, one-of-a-kind very funny person.

When he hit "old age" he always had to be warm. He wore a jacket vest inside the house all winter long even though the thermometers registered close to 80 degrees. (Yes, plural, because he had at least one hanging in each room, many of which were still in the plastic).

As you read this book, you will get to know my Funny Dad through my eyes as well as how our relationship grew. If you are a caregiver to an older person, I'm sure you will identify with many of the events I share in this book and realize other people have some of the same problems as you. Hopefully, you will even learn some things and get some ideas from him just like I have.

--Karen Arlettaz Zemek

(available on www.amazon.com, www.bn.com

and www.outskirtspress.com/myfunnydadharry)