Father Loss

A Father’s Day Sale for the Recently Deceased Dad

I keep getting emails from Bed Bath & Beyond reminding me that “It’s Not Too Late To Find the Perfect Father’s Day Gift!” But in this case, it kind of is.

Why I’m Jealous of Grieving People

By Nicole Ferraro

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.