Father Loss

Dad died when I was 6, and life went on seemingly undeterred. All these years later, I find myself envious of those who have the chance to mourn.

Going Home

By Alyssa Limperis

After my dad's death, now it just feels like a house.

Love, Dad

By Laura Coward

On my 8th fatherless Father's Day, my dad found a way to send me a handwritten message from the grave.

Had I Sealed My Father’s Fate?

By Michelle Adelman

I'm a novelist and killed off the father character early in my first book. When my dad died unexpectedly soon after, I was wracked with guilt.

Why I Like Funerals More Than Weddings

By Rachel Amondson

"Four Weddings and a Funeral"? I'd rather watch "Four Funerals and a Wedding."

Dad’s Voice in the ‘Tower of Song’

By Erin Lyndal Martin

The last time I spoke to my father, the subject was, of all things, Leonard Cohen — the musician my dad believed brought 'punctuation to experience.'

Exercise in Avoidance

By Ellen Friedrichs

The walk home from school was long — like four-hours long the way we did it. But it kept us out of an apartment full of grief triggers.

Closure Is a Unicorn

By Dan Halioua

My father and I struggled to understand each other. His death was what made me realize I can both love him and being angry with him.

Will I Still Be Funny?

By Jessica Frith

My family thrived on potty humor, but after my dad died I wondered if we'd ever again laugh with abandon.

When Self Care Looks Like Paying The Cable Bill

By Meg Tansey

"My father-in-law suddenly died. How do I take care of them, and myself, while working full-time?" Meg's case for the little things.

Chicken Chow Found

By Jerusha Klemperer

I've spent years attempting to rebuild my dad's favorite recipe. And with a simple wok, I've connected our family with him anew.

This Side of Paradise

By Nanea Hoffman

Hawaiian cemetery picnics have long been a family tradition, but one I have resisted since my father died.

David Carr’s ‘Lasting Totem’

By Brian Stelter

The writer David Carr thought of me like a son. When he died, he left me with a trove of fatherly wisdom, courtesy of Gmail.

Are You My Papi?

By Mathew Rodriguez

As a young man, I lost my father to AIDS-related illness. Now I search for echoes of him in the men I choose to love.

My Dad, Forever a Stranger

By Anastasia Selby

For 16 years I had no relationship with my father, a devoted Scientologist. When he died, I realized just how little I knew about him — and he about me.

My Two Dads

By Ryan Murdock

When a motorcycle accident turned my father into a man we — and he — no longer recognized, I contemplated helping him die.

Hard Time

By Laura Kiesel

Uncle Billy, the father figure in my life, came back from prison broken and distant. And before long, he was dead — leaving me to wrestle with his complicated legacy.