Father Loss

Modern Loss Going Home

Going Home

By

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

Love, Dad

By

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

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

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

Dad’s Voice in the ‘Tower of Song’

By

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

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

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

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

"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

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

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

David Carr’s ‘Lasting Totem’

By

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

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

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

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

Hard Time

By

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.

25 Things I Learned from My Dad

By

Life lessons, in chronological order, from a recently deceased parent.

Loss, Squared

By

One moment, I was planning a long-awaited trip to East Africa. The next, I was facing down two life-or-death decisions.

Revisiting the Track after My Father’s Death

By

I'd abandoned the 440-yard loop long ago. Returning to it allowed me to begin grieving my father's death.

Stay Classy

By

I have a terrible relationship with sister. How do I get through my dad’s memorial service without creating a scene? Our advice columnist weighs in.

1 2 3 4 5 6