Personal Narrative Essay: The Death Of My Father

It has been twelve years since my father passed away. To this day I live with guilt from my mother that I did not become a fisherman like she had wanted. I went to university and became a professor at Midwestern University in Illinois. I like to think that at least I made my father happy. He had wanted me to go to school and get an education because he had never had an opportunity to. From a young age he had been a fisherman just like his father and my grandpa’s father. It was the norm to be a fisherman from where I’m from in Port Hawkesbury which is on the Cape Breton Island.
I had not visited my mother since the day I left home. We occasionally exchanged mail when there was a holiday like our birthdays or Christmas. My sisters continued to live across North America with their husbands and children. We met up for Christmas dinner a couple of years ago but we do not talk often. Of course we invited our mother for Christmas dinner but she did not want to come.
The death of my father really affected my mother. I would think about her sitting alone all year round in the big, empty house that I grew up in. I moved out not long after my father died. I packed my bags and took a road trip to Illinois. I lived alone there for many years. During this time I was unhappy and lonely. I wanted to find a wife and start a

Herald brought the toy boat with him. We walked down the stone path towards Jenny Lynn. I could tell it was Jenny Lynn even though her light green paint had chipped off and the letters along the bow were faded to a light grey. I told my family the story of Jenny Lynn. My son said with joy in his eyes, “Daddy can we take Jenny for a ride?” I did not want to disappoint my eager son but Jenny was in rough shape and did not look like she would run. I replied, “Jenny is very old and she in in rough shape. I will try to get her running tomorrow but I cannot make any promises that we can ride