The Search for Dad: What's next?

I had to take a breather. So, for the last few days, I have tried to not think about my Dad and my search for answers. I have immersed myself in my family and have kept myself as busy as possible. 

However, dreams of my search and possible outcomes have kept me from having a restful sleep.

I have hit the wall in terms of information on what happened to my Dad. To recap, I traced him to Regina. In the late 1970's through to the mid 1980's, my Dad worked for CFMQ-FM (Q92) as the morning man and later, the mid-day host. In the late 80's, he left CFMQ-FM and radio in general. That's where the trail goes cold. In March of 2005, My Dad passed away at Regina General Hospital. At the time of his death, he was married to Linda North and living in a townhouse complex on Cameron Street in Regina. I have had many meaningful messages from his co-workers and colleagues in Regina radio and their memories have sustained me to this point. The last known date that one of them saw my Dad was 1989.

The search for Dad: The Man

When I began this quest to reconnect with my Dad, one of my goals was to learn as much as I could about him. What kind of man was he? Am I like him? Do we share traits?

It's still early in the game but I think I can safely say that he was well liked and respected by the people he worked with. I have had several meaningful exchanges with colleagues in Regina and Whitehorse. They have been generous with their time and for that, I am grateful. I want to share a couple of comments. I have left the names off because I didn't have their permission to include them.

The search for Dad: An update

My search for my Dad, Michael Peter Murphy started last week . The decision to look for my Dad was an emotional one for me. As soon as I decided to formally post that decision here, I knew that I wouldn't be able to take it back. There was risk -- risk that I will not get the outcome that I set out for. I thought I understood that risk. I did not.

Today, a friend sent me a link to an announcement that said the following:

       Michael Peter Murphy 

Date of Birth: Monday May 28th 1945

Date of Death: Thursday March 31st 2005

Place of Death: Regina General Hospital

  

I have been unable to properly confirm whether this is my Dad however birth date matches his, Peter was his middle name and the painful pit in my stomach tells me that this is my Dad.

I wasn't prepared for this news even though the logical part of my brain knew it was a possibility and it has knocked me down.

The search for Dad

Taken prior to a Kelowna Regatta -- not sure on the year. Dad is the one in the apron.

I was five years old the last time I saw my Dad. That's an amazing sentence to write. The reality is that I haven't seen or heard from my Dad in 31 years. I don't have many clear memories of him but I do remember the last time I saw him. He picked me up to go to a theme park for my birthday. We were late and the theme park was closed so we went to McDonald's.