We Will Always Have The Tower Of Terror

The Tower Of Terror is no longer at Disney California Adventure, at least not in its original form, but it will always hold some special places in my heart. That ride was one of my favorites and still is, maybe more so in its new form. I bet you’re wondering at this point why is it a blog and what am I writing about? Well, I’ll tell you. I chose this title because it is one of the last things I said to my father in law. The mere mention of this ride would have us laughing no matter the circumstance and while I will keep most of that between us, it is one of the most prominent memories I have with him. It is funny now, slightly funny then, but fun undeniably. Today I am going to tell you all about Richard Juhl, the best father in law a girl could ask for.
I first met Richard on super bowl Sunday in 2005, my husband and I had been dating a few months and it was time to meet the parents. I was nervous, most people are, but not only was he so welcoming, he instantly started talking to me as if he had known me for years. There was no weirdness or awkwardness, he just jumped into story after story. This wasn’t him trying hard either, I heard those stories a million more times along with new ones over the next 17 years. Talking is what he did best. He always had a joke or a story and wasn’t afraid to share it. Not with me or with the random person he met at Walmart. No one was a stranger and everyone he met had the opportunity to be a friend. This is the first reason I just loved him. I saw him and I saw my husband, not only do they have the same eyes and nose but so much of what I love in Joey I respected in Richard. He wasn’t perfect but man did he love his family. My husband is the same, he isn’t perfect but man does he love us. Over the years Richard became my talking buddy. When the kids were playing and everyone was mingling, we would talk. Richard loved to talk! We would shoot the shit, discuss the real shit, and more often than not he would just talk till I was bored as shit and I loved every single minute. I think I will miss that the most. The talking.
We celebrated Richards 70th birthday in January and it was by far the best party we have had. It hit me then how loved he truly is. That led me to realize how loved we truly are by him. 70 years on this world and oh man the things he saw. I got 17 years with him, not even a quarter of his life, yet he was prominent in almost half of mine. That thought alone flabbergasts me. He was a father to me in times that I needed him to be and a friend always. He was smart and wise, wisdom that was bigger than him and this lifetime. He was funny and grumpy, sometimes all in one. He was slightly inappropriate and had absolutely no filter. He spoke his truth and at times would slap you upside the head with your own. He loved cheese, classic rock, and soaked up history facts like a sponge. Somehow any time I hear “Sharp Dressed Man” by ZZ Top, I think of him. He loved ZZ Top, he could have been one of the band. He had the hair and the beard and the swagger to do so. I don’t know if he would qualify as sharp dressed to most standards but he sure knew how to rock a flannel, worn in jeans, and suspenders! He was sharp in his own style and he had no shame in his game. He is the most secure human I have ever met, he knew who he was and he loved it. The closest second is my husband, another trait he got from his dad. Give that man a nascar race and a cheese plate and he was in heaven, simple yet so complex. That is how I describe him. He needed very little, but loved very much. He saw things most people didn’t and he never asked you to be anyone other than yourself. I wish I would have appreciated that more when he was here.
We lost him a month ago today, March 5th, 2022. After a short but very strong fight with cancer, he went home. He was a father to six, grandfather to 16, and great grandfather to 1. Every spouse, step grandchild, and their children became his family. He welcomed us all with arms wide open. He was able to bridge any age gap and would fit right in with the teens as he would with us. If anything he was too young for those his age. Not in an immature way at all, he knew he would do more good sharing wisdom with us than he would talking weather with his counterparts. As I process his passing and the hole it’s left behind I find myself more and more grateful everyday. At 70 he had a huge family all around him, not one child absent. His life may have been simple to some, to those that didn’t get the chance to truly see, but to us it was so grand. What he built is undeniable, the love shared is unbreakable. I was honored to know and love him, humbled and grateful to stand with him as he left this world, and forever changed by the influence he left. He understood the assignment and he left this world and those he loved better for have known him. It is my intention to do the same, and I’m thankful for the example.
May this blog remind you to hold onto the little things. Be grateful for how those you love make you feel, love yourself as much as you love others, and make time to rock out every now and then. When you do I know he will be hopping around in heaven, rocking right along with you.
Richard, I am eternally grateful for you, love you lots, and I’ll keep talking for you- now I may actually get a word in! 😂 I will carry your lessons with me, love your son for the rest of this life and every life after, and I’ll do my part to keep the waters clear. Till we meet again, after this life or sometime in the next! 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🎸

I love you