I’m raising funds to honor my father with a memorial bench at the YMCA poolside, where he spent so much of his life. My father loved swimming from the time he was a young child and continued through adulthood. In the last few years of his life, he taught both children’s and adult swim classes at the YMCA, sharing that love with so many others.

During his short fight with brain cancer, his mobility was affected, but he still went swimming a few times a week until the last few weeks of his life. Swimming remained such an important part of who he was, and that is why our family has chosen this as a meaningful way to remember him.

This loss has left a deep emptiness in our lives, and we know we will carry that for the rest of our lives. At the same time, every time we swim, we will feel his love for us and for the people he taught and served throughout his life.

The funds from this fundraiser will go toward paying for the memorial bench to be placed by the YMCA poolside. We hope to have it installed around his wedding anniversary so there can be a lasting place to remember him in the space he loved most.

If you would like to help us create this tribute to my father, any donation or share would mean so much to our family. Thank you for helping us honor his memory in a place that meant so much to him.