---
title: "Lessons Learned from Missing Dad: Year 3 Edition – Dr. Rowena Briones Winkler"
description: "Today is October 7th. Three years ago, I was getting ready to teach a social media class at my first \"real job\" post-graduate school at Virginia Commonwealth University when my sister called. It was 3:30 PM. I immediately sensed something was wrong. Unfortunately I was right. My wonderful, funny, patient, and kind father had passed…"
---

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# [Lessons Learned from Missing Dad: Year 3 Edition – Dr. Rowena Briones Winkler](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/blog/2016/10/08/lessons-learned-from-missing-dad-year-3-edition)

 Written by [Dr. Rowena Briones Winkler](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/blog/author/dr-rowena-briones-winkler) | Oct 8, 2016, 4:00:00 AM

### Today is October 7th.

Three years ago, I was getting ready to teach a social media class at my first “real job” post-graduate school at Virginia Commonwealth University when my sister called.

It was 3:30 PM.

I immediately sensed something was wrong.

Unfortunately I was right.

*My wonderful, funny, patient, and kind father had passed away after a hard fight  
against esophageal cancer.*

#### He was only 66.

And now here we are, three years later, and I’m thinking: *damn, time flies by so fast.*

### *LIFE flies by so fast. *

## **So now I have a question.**

*Have you ever had one of those weeks where you just felt…I dunno, off?*

Yeah, well I was having one of those weeks, and I finally realized it’s because we were approaching today.

The day I would never get see my dad laugh, or sing karaoke, or play poker for hours on Facebook ever again.

### **…and it totally, absolutely, positively…**

## sucks. like, really damn hard.

So what do I do? Well as per usual whenever I feel sad, I sing. 

In addition, I suppose due mostly in part by my recent [Hamilton/Lin Manuel-Miranda](http://www.hamiltonbroadway.com/)inspiration, I wrote a spoken word piece about my dad’s passing as well:

### **…it still ain’t over yet…**

Lastly, as a final homage to my dad, my hubs and I made corned beef with potatoes, onion, and white rice, a common Bob Briones food staple and my personal version of comfort food:

I am very proud to say that despite my fumbling a bit to figure out how to get this simple meal all together, it tasted exactly how I remember it, and Derek even thought it was yummy.

## So it ended up being an ok day after all.

So there you go. I taught, I graded, I did a bit of research…and then I pulled together a song, a poem, and some food. I think dad would have been pleased.

[View full post](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/blog/2016/10/08/lessons-learned-from-missing-dad-year-3-edition)

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