The sun was shining from a clear blue sky on that early November day. It was late morning and there was a chill in the air as we pulled out of the driveway. Dad turned and took a final glance at his home. He had built that house with his own hands and a little help. He had lived there for more than fifty years. He and his wife had raised three children there: Bob, Bill, and Mary. Elsie, his wife for more than fifty years had died there. There was sadness in my heart as I glanced at him from behind the wheel and drove away. He was once a big barrel-chested man "strong as a mule" as one of his in-laws had once said. But the years and illness had taken their toll and it was time to rest. Five days later, on November 8th, 2009, he was gone. Dad was born on March 13th, 1924 and raised in California and he loved to tell stories of his youth like fishing from his bedroom window on Tomales Bay or hunting jack rabbits in the rolling hills nearby and ducks on the bay. There was the time he knocked himself out trying to "parachute" off the roof of his one-room school with an umbrella, and how painful it was when he kicked a rock playing hide-and-seek at night in the orchard. No matter the hurt, he had to put his shoes on the next morning and get out into the fields to pick fruit. It was the depression and his family needed the money. World War II was in progress when Dad turned eighteen; he was called into service and entered the United States Army. Dad had good mechanical aptitude so the Army trained him as an in-flight mechanic for the B24 Liberator Bomber. He served in the 99th Bomb Group in France, Normandy, central Europe, and Italy. As a testimonial of honest and faithful service to his country, he received an honorable discharge on December 20, 1945. After leaving the Army, Dad tried his hand at a variety of occupations. He worked at a porcelain factory, a sugar plant, as a bridge painter, and as a policeman for the City of Yakima. He was working at a cannery in Toppenish when he met his future wife Elsie. They courted and were married in of 1948. A job with the railroad brought them to Burbank, where they settled and built a home, but he wasn't done yet. In the sixties, he learned to weld at CBC and joined the Pipe Fitters Local 598. He continued to work as a journeyman steamfitter welder until he retired. After retirement he worked as a volunteer for the Salvation Army while his health allowed. He was a loving and dedicated husband and father, and believed that this was the highest compliment one could ever get. His character was defined by his faith, a strong will, and unwavering determination. It is written that when Jesus' time drew near that he resolutely determined to go to Jerusalem to meet his destiny. The same can be said of Erlon. He refused nutrition, water and even pain mediation in his final hours. Once he decided to do something, there wasn't much that could ever stop him, that's the kind of man he was. Viewing will be held Friday, November 13th, 2009, 3:00pm to 8:00pm, at Mueller's Tri-Cities Funeral Home, 1401 S. Union Street, Kennewick. Graveside services will be Saturday, November 14th, 1:00pm, at Desert Lawn Memorial Park, adjacent to the funeral home.