I'll miss you, Dad!!

My Dad, Hans Joachim Kuschnerus, passed away peacefully in his sleep the morning of September 16. He had struggled with health issues for the past year but his mind was AWESOME until the end!  I know he still would have won 3-vs-1 Trivial Pursuit (versus Sandy, his wife of 30 years, Pat, and me).  

By Salt River Canyon in Arizona in January 2023

In addition to being a great friend to me, he was a proud son, grandson (he had a special bond with his maternal grandfather), immigrant (he loved the USA after coming from WWII Berlin at 18 years old), electrical engineer (alumni of Wayne State University), and Ford executive. 

He was a proud husband to my mom, and then Sandy, father to my sister and me, grandfather to Rebecca and Evelyn, father-in-law, brother, uncle, colleague, and friend to many. 

He loved to think about the past (memories of his grandpa Bagenz were his favorite) and the future (especially how technology will change our lives). 

He loved to travel. I think he went everywhere except Antarctica!

He loved to write. The chronicles of his childhood through working years filled a book that I had bound for him one Christmas. His trip summaries would fill another book. He even wrote a sailing instruction book, with illustrations, in the 1970s. 

He loved to share his knowledge on things like sailing, skiing, the importance of schooling and good grades, driving a stick shift, investing, and career.  He continued this into retirement…he was preparing his third zoom-based lecture for The Chesapeake Forum. This one was on how travel has changed over the centuries. 

A framed picture on his desk. He was teaching his granddaughters something ~20 years ago.

 He loved to learn. He continued to enjoy his Ford Retiree forums, Saturday morning gatherings with the guys in Oxford, MD, reading, and was already a fan of ChatGPT. He was my #1 blog fan, waiting for each new post and commenting after each one with questions, observations, and his own memories of a place. 

I could go on!  He was an amazing person and lived an amazing 87 years!!!

I am very thankful for my recent time with him, driving him and Sandy from CO to MD. Pat joined us on September 5 and we had a wonderful evening of Sandy’s cooking, cocktails, and conversation. He was so happy to be home. 

His wishes include cremation and a memorial. Since the memorial will happen after our scheduled return home, we will continue with our journey. Based on the things he loved, I don’t think he’d want it any other way!  I’ll miss him with every blog post!!