Harald Aadahl's Burial
Donation protected
My dad died suddenly last night from a heart attack. We are all so in shock.
The burial services and funeral are going to be about $13,000, so I set the goal at $20,000 (gofundme will take 10% of the total raised) to cover funeral costs and help my mom with bills and to be able to take some time off of teaching to grieve and adjust, But it looks like the funeral cost is just the beginning and that we have a lot of legal stuff to do next, and debts to pay off that were left behind.
My dad lost his job years back and wasn't able to find another Pastoral job, and then they lost the house I grew up in and have been living in my Grandma's house since. My mom has almost an hour commute each day to teach at a small Christian school, and my dad had an hour and a half commute each day to his job at a small Christian retreat center. He also drove the trams at Busch Gardens and picked up handyman jobs to make ends meet. It's been really hard financially for them for quite a while, so there are no assets or any extra money around to help us pay these huge and unexpected expenses.
Both of my parents have always worked so hard and we grew up living a very modest life. We lived in a 1,000 square foot house and all 5 of us shared 1 bathroom. We had handme down furniture and clothes. We drove old and unreliable cars that were given to us by friends. We learned the difference between wants and needs, but still I saw my dad be unbelievably generous with anyone who ever needed help. I saw him pay for kids to go to camp from his own money so that they wouldn't miss out. He helped start something on the Peninsula called Work Camp that gathered teenagers and adults from all over to do minor and major home repairs for free for people who couldn't afford them and needed them badly. Because of work camp, I learned how to roof a house, do sheet rock, paint, and lay flooring at 14 years old. He took groups of us down to do Hurricane Katrina Relief for several years in a row, and that humbling experience is something I will never forget. One of my dad's favorite things to do for fun was to build wheelchair ramps for people in need. I always got so tickled by how delighted that made him. You could always see the joy in his face when he was helping others which happened often.
My dad, Harald, was a great man. He was a youth pastor for most of his life, a husband to my mom for almost 40 years, an amazing dad to me, my brother Aaron, and my sister Hannah who is still in high school. He was a dad figure to so many of my friends and his students who needed a good dad. He was a great grandpa to my Harper. I'm heartbroken that we only got a year of living on the same side of the country with him. He was a friend you could count on for anything. He was open minded and wasn't judgmental. I saw Jesus in him.
He was there for me through my very hard times. He took me to countless Doctors and counseling appointments when I was battling bulimia and depression and suicidal thoughts for many years. He didn't leave me alone in my suffering, he walked with me through some of my darkest days. When I got pregnant in high school, I will never forget the first words he said to me, "I love you, we will get through this, just don't do this again." After that he would make sure I was eating enough, he bought me maternity clothes, and he helped me figure out all of my options, he helped me finish high school, and helped me process the aftermath of giving my first daughter up for adoption.
If you knew my dad, he had probably been there for you during some time of need or listened to you when you needed a non-judgemental ear, or he instilled wisdom in you, or knowing him and the way he lived his life helped shape you into who you are today. He left a legacy in his 61 years on this earth. I am grateful to have gotten 28 years with him and my heart aches that it wasn't longer.
Please continue to pray for my family as we navigate the darkness right now, and if you are able to give anything at all to help us pay for his funeral, we are so grateful.
Thank you from all of us Aadahls and Maslyns.
The burial services and funeral are going to be about $13,000, so I set the goal at $20,000 (gofundme will take 10% of the total raised) to cover funeral costs and help my mom with bills and to be able to take some time off of teaching to grieve and adjust, But it looks like the funeral cost is just the beginning and that we have a lot of legal stuff to do next, and debts to pay off that were left behind.
My dad lost his job years back and wasn't able to find another Pastoral job, and then they lost the house I grew up in and have been living in my Grandma's house since. My mom has almost an hour commute each day to teach at a small Christian school, and my dad had an hour and a half commute each day to his job at a small Christian retreat center. He also drove the trams at Busch Gardens and picked up handyman jobs to make ends meet. It's been really hard financially for them for quite a while, so there are no assets or any extra money around to help us pay these huge and unexpected expenses.
Both of my parents have always worked so hard and we grew up living a very modest life. We lived in a 1,000 square foot house and all 5 of us shared 1 bathroom. We had handme down furniture and clothes. We drove old and unreliable cars that were given to us by friends. We learned the difference between wants and needs, but still I saw my dad be unbelievably generous with anyone who ever needed help. I saw him pay for kids to go to camp from his own money so that they wouldn't miss out. He helped start something on the Peninsula called Work Camp that gathered teenagers and adults from all over to do minor and major home repairs for free for people who couldn't afford them and needed them badly. Because of work camp, I learned how to roof a house, do sheet rock, paint, and lay flooring at 14 years old. He took groups of us down to do Hurricane Katrina Relief for several years in a row, and that humbling experience is something I will never forget. One of my dad's favorite things to do for fun was to build wheelchair ramps for people in need. I always got so tickled by how delighted that made him. You could always see the joy in his face when he was helping others which happened often.
My dad, Harald, was a great man. He was a youth pastor for most of his life, a husband to my mom for almost 40 years, an amazing dad to me, my brother Aaron, and my sister Hannah who is still in high school. He was a dad figure to so many of my friends and his students who needed a good dad. He was a great grandpa to my Harper. I'm heartbroken that we only got a year of living on the same side of the country with him. He was a friend you could count on for anything. He was open minded and wasn't judgmental. I saw Jesus in him.
He was there for me through my very hard times. He took me to countless Doctors and counseling appointments when I was battling bulimia and depression and suicidal thoughts for many years. He didn't leave me alone in my suffering, he walked with me through some of my darkest days. When I got pregnant in high school, I will never forget the first words he said to me, "I love you, we will get through this, just don't do this again." After that he would make sure I was eating enough, he bought me maternity clothes, and he helped me figure out all of my options, he helped me finish high school, and helped me process the aftermath of giving my first daughter up for adoption.
If you knew my dad, he had probably been there for you during some time of need or listened to you when you needed a non-judgemental ear, or he instilled wisdom in you, or knowing him and the way he lived his life helped shape you into who you are today. He left a legacy in his 61 years on this earth. I am grateful to have gotten 28 years with him and my heart aches that it wasn't longer.
Please continue to pray for my family as we navigate the darkness right now, and if you are able to give anything at all to help us pay for his funeral, we are so grateful.
Thank you from all of us Aadahls and Maslyns.
Organiser
Sara Maslyn
Organiser
Richmond, VA
