Hey everyone, it’s Grace. It’s taken me a while to be able to sit down and write this, but it’s time. As you’ve all heard by now, my dad, John Dee, passed away.
Originally, this post was going to be about his life, following the course of him growing up, going to college, moving up north, starting a family. But then, I realized that you all knew him. He started this site years ago, and you’ve all come to know him through it. So, I’m not going to waste the words introducing you all to a man you already know.
Instead, I’m going to talk about him. The real him. My dad was so much more than words on a page can describe, so much more than a list of dates and events that shaped his life. There’s a line from one of his favorite songs (Chicken Fried, by the Zac Brown Band.) There’s no dollar sign on a peace of mind this I’ve come to know. I think that this idea is one that my dad took to heart.
Yes, he was a meteorologist. But it was so much more than a job for him. It was his passion. 
It was what he loved, and so it was what he did. From the day that he first got sick, my dad knew that life was a gift. He never wasted a second of it. No, he made each and every day count, doing the things he loved, no matter his condition.
My dad loved woodworking, 
he loved nature, 
he loved the snow. 
But most of all, my dad loved a good laugh. 
And life is too short. My dad knew this, and he embraced it. I think that’s what made him love it so much. No matter where he was, how he was feeling, and, sometimes, what the doctors (and us) told him, he got up in the morning and set out to do what he loved. That is the last, and greatest, lesson that my dad taught me. That, no matter what, you’ve got to stand up and live your life to the fullest.
Dad, we will see you in the trees,
we will see you in the sun,
and, most of all, we will see you in the snow.
Good Night from the Keweenaw..
-JD
