My Dad was an appliance repair, salesman/coin operated laundry mat owner since he was 16 years old. A self made man at such a young age; he was well known around the South as one of the most intelligent, genuine, funny men you would ever have the pleasure of knowing. Why everyone knew Tommy Sizemore and to know him was to love him. He never met a stranger and was always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone or any animal in need.

As a young child, I have very fond Summer memories of getting to ride to work with him and catch calls. We’d make a whole fun day out of it. And he even let me paint his tool box rainbow colors–I decorated every inch of each tool box to which he told me years later, his customers would say “I see you have a talented artist in the family.” I remember him accepting payment in the form of homemade honey and jams because the customer couldn’t afford the repair. That’s the kind of man my Dad was–always put others before himself.

On our many adventures together, I got to ride around with my Dad to all of his different coin operated laundries. What always stuck out in my mind was Pop always had loose change in his pockets. It’s how I always knew when he was home from work as I could hear the jingle jangle of the change in his pockets as he came in the door.

What most don’t know is how something as simple as the change in his pockets gave me some of the best memories of my life. From buying me a snow cone at the park on a sunny, Saturday afternoon, to laying down a quarter on every row of colors at Six Flags so I was guaranteed to win a giant stuffed animal, getting me an icey after any Dr’s appointments that required shots, or donating change to my giant Coca Cola bottle bank– there’s nothing more magical than those moments.

Pop didn’t realize that with just the change in his pocket, he made this girl, this Daughter, so happy. I wish he would have known how magical those moments were and how much they meant to me. The impact he made on me and the world will always be cherished and never forgotten. And who would have ever thought he made all of this possible with just the change in his pocket? May we always try every day to live like Pop.