ken zirkel » Dear old dad

Alfred Zirkel, 1930-2010

Ken Zirkel — Sun, 23 May 2010 02:36:28 +0000

Dad passed away yesterday. Wendy and I were by his side at the nursing home. He went quickly and peacefully.

He wasn’t the easiest guy to get close to. I returned the sentiment, and spent a lot of my life distancing myself from him, or resenting him for one thing or another. But after my son was diagnosed with Asperger’s, I started to understand him a lot better. Dad was never diagnosed with it (he was born before Dr. Asperger even gave it a name), but I have no doubt that my father had Asperger Syndrome, too.

I tried to collect some photos of him for a tribute gallery, but they were hard to come by. Dad was usually the guy behind the camera, rarely in front of it. That’s something we shared: a love of photography. He introduced me to the hobby, gave me my first camera, my first darkroom lessons. I suppose his antique Canon FT-b is my most prized possession of his, along with his hundreds of photographs and his 8mm movies.

Here are some photos to remember him by.

Daughter plays for dad

Ken Zirkel — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 00:07:02 +0000

Daughter is scheduled to play a big flute solo in her school concert this Wednesday evening. Poor dad can’t make it, he’s too weak. So, daughter gave him a highlights performance at his nursing home today.

Thanksgiving

Ken Zirkel — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:19:43 +0000

This Thanksgiving my sister and her husband came to visit, and we moved dad’s stuff out of his apartment in his assisted living center, in preparation for his move to a nursing home. We took the kids over to his new place to say hi.

Sister visit

Ken Zirkel — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:54:17 +0000

My sister came to visit today. So of course I got out the camera and had her pose with dad for a family portrait.

A few more photos here.

Xmas presents

Ken Zirkel — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:16:29 +0000

Son and his cousin enjoy the microscope that their grandfather gave them:

And their other grandfather enjoys a book:

Dear old dad

Ken Zirkel — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:36:35 +0000

Had a holiday dinner with dad at his assisted living center. He’s back from a recent stay in the hospital and seems to have settled back into his routine.