For The Love of Apples, For Dad

My name is Amanda and I am posting this GoFundMe for my dear friend Susie and her Dad. Below is what Susie has to say about what this fundraiser is all about!!

In 2011 my dad was forced in to retirement due to a heart condition. He spent his retirement woodworking is his basement workshop. He found his niche in crafting jelly cabinets, benches, birdhouses, and wall art, out of recycled materials that he procured all over town. He had booths in our local vendor shops but really hit his stride when he signed up as a vendor at our local farmers market. He spent every Saturday, rain or shine, at our Riverfront, meeting and talking to people, selling his art, and enjoying life. In 2019, his heart condition worsened and I started accompanying him on his weekly market adventures. This was also the time he started creating his wall art flowers, which were his best selling pieces of all. Nothing lit my dad up more than seeing the smile on someone's face when they found the perfect piece for their home. He would always say "It looks good here, but it'd look even better on YOUR wall". The next thing we knew, people were coming back for more, making custom color requests, and telling their friends. They always say, if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life... the last 4 years at the market, my dad spent more time in his workshop than he ever did at his job and he never worked a minute of it. Demand was so high, my visiting sisters would be put to work sanding and painting petals. I even took a few days off to don an apron and a pair of gloves and spend some time in the workshop. Dad's last market was opening day in 2022. We showed up with 45 flowers and left with 8. It poured down rain but nothing could dampen his spirit. Over the summer we sold the last few pieces and dad sold or gave away all of his tools and closed shop. He then lost his battle with heart failure just before Christmas in 2022.

I am so thankful that my dad's retirement and last years were full of so much joy. The majority of that joy was because of this local farmers market. I could talk all day about all the cool things you experience there, but one of the biggest draws is that everything is grown, made, and sourced locally. There's food, beverage, produce, and art everywhere you look. They even bring local musicians every week to play for market patrons. When I sat down and thought about what I could do to honor my dad and keep his spirit alive, the first thing that came to mind was to support the market. In 2023 we used the memorial funds and made a donation and they used it to help pay the local musicians that play on market days. As a fan of local music myself, I was thrilled that the donation was used for this purpose. The Director of the market, Sharon, had a sign put up next to the musicians setup, with a picture of my Dad with a bright smile, explaining that today's music was funded in his memory. My sisters, family, and dads friends love that he still gets to smile over the market that brought him so much joy. My hope is to continue to donate each year to keep his spirit alive both in my heart, and everyone else's.