Thursday, August 06, 2015

You Meet Him, You Like Him, You Never Forget Him

It's been crazy over the last few months. Unfortunately, my father passed away late Saturday night. I'm still trying to unpack my experiences over the past few days, but thought that I would share the obituary that I wrote from my father. You can also view it here.

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The world lost a wonderful man when Harry Cummings took his last breath late August 1, 2015. He was surrounded by family and more in spirit and in person as he lost his 15 year battle with cancer. His signature laugh and joyful approach to life will long live on in our hearts and in our memories.

A quote in Harry's high school yearbook sums it up well: "You meet him, you like him, you never forget him!"

Born May 7, 1941, Harry was raised in the Minneapolis area by his strong single mother along side his younger brother, Jack. Harry spoke of his childhood with a smile and ultimately graduated from Richfield High School in 1959 and went on to study at University of Minnesota.

From his first marriage, Harry had four wonderful children: Tara, Boyd, Eric, and Adam, who all reside in Anchorage, AK. Each had a special place in Harry's heart, and they were not far from his daily thoughts.

Harry married his long-time wife, Beth, in December 1975. The two fostered their love through travel, tennis, golf, and other activities together. Much of their married life was spent in the Seattle area before retiring to Sun Lakes, AZ. Beth and Harry had one daughter, Jill, who has also relocated to the Chandler area from Seattle.

Thoughout his career, Harry found joy in helping others excel. For the last 20+ years, Harry worked as a real estate broker, helping agents launch their careers and sharpen their negotiating skills. In addition, Harry worked for K2 and JanSport in sales and marketing, refining his business acumen while feeding his love for adventure.

Harry will always be remembered as a wonderful husband, father, mentor, and friend. He approached every day with a smile and a laugh, even on the worst of days. Harry is preceeded in death by his mother and father and is survived by his wife Beth, brother Jack, daughters Tara and Jill, sons Boyd, Eric, and Adam, and 10 grandkids.

A celebration of life will take place at 1 p.m. on August 13th at the Sun Lakes Chapel (9240 E. Sun Lakes Blvd. N, Sun Lakes AZ 85248) with a reception to follow at Sun Lakes Country Club.

Donations in Harry's memory can be made to the Virginia Piper Cancer Research Center in Scottsdale, AZ or to the cancer research foundation of your choosing. In addition, the family asks that you continue to spread the joy that Harry was so well known for -- whether through a random act of kindness or whether it's giving an extra large tip to a waiter/waitress. Please help us to continue to spread joy and laughter in memory of Harry.