Kenneth Earl Trygstad
Gunnery Sergeant, United States Marine Corps (Retired)
June 22, 1930--July 12, 1997

What My Dad Taught Me
Steven Trygstad, July 16, 1997

One of my earliest childhood memories is watching football on TV with my Dad. In between the normal five-year-old questions like "Why do you like football, Dad?" and "How come they wear those helmets?" he taught me those great words of wisdom that have since been passed on to my boys. "Son," he said, "the most important thing to know about football is that there is only one kind of football: Raider football!"

About five years later my Dad woke me up one Saturday morning and said, "Get up! It's time to go to work." That day he taught me that nothing good in life comes free and easy and that everything of lasting value is bought by honest hard work. He also said that "it's not how much you get in life, it's how much you enjoy what you have!"

During my teenage years and into my early twenties when I couldn't be taught much of anything, my Dad never gave up trying. He always said, "Don't do things halfway and quit; always go the extra mile and finish what you started."

Through the years my father taught me many things by example. He taught me to love and honor God above all, to love and respect your wife and family, to treat all men fairly and help others whenever you can. But the one thing he taught me that has and will be most valuable in my life is how to be a great Dad.