Father’s Day is this Sunday, two weeks since my Dad’s passing, and the first holiday I will celebrate without him. So, I’m taking some time here to celebrate.

Things you should know about dear old Dad:

—He was an avid fisher and hunter. I spent my summers on a boat in Michigan. He taught me to bait my own hook and snag my own fish. In my adulthood, that became a metaphor for life. The photo above was taken during one of Dad’s many tuna fishing trips to North Carolina. Every June, he’d go for a week, and return with a year’s worth of fish. We had to buy another freezer just to hold it all.

—Without fail, my father was always the loudest man in the room. His laughter during a party downed out everyone else’s, as did his screams during a football game. That booming voice is why everyone remembers him as the life of the party.

—He always had a positive outlook. Sunny day out? Let’s go fishing. Cloudy day out? Let’s go fishing. Windy day out? Let’s go fishing, and bring a sweater. Rainy day out? Let’s fish tomorrow, but eat what we caught yesterday for dinner.

—One of my dad’s favorite sandwiches was something that I could never get into: liverwurst on white bread. It’s a sandwich an outdoorsman would make to keep themselves warm in the woods—something a light chicken salad just can’t do. Below, I bring you Dad’s special, the liverwurst sandwich.

Dad, I miss you. But I’ll never forget you. Happy Father’s Day.

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