Sunday, February 14, 2010
A Tribute to Captain Phil
Earlier this week, my very favorite captain, Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie, passed away. A few weeks ago, he suffered a stroke while in port on an offload in between fishing trips. He'd spent more than twenty years at the wheel and he worked right up until the day he had his stroke. He was only 53.
I never had the pleasure of meeting Phil Harris. But when you watch a show that gets so up close and personal into the lives of these men (and a few women) as they work for months on end, you feel like you get to know them. As much as I have grown to enjoy watching the show every spring, it's been even more than that. I pay attention to when the seasons start and know when they are headed out to sea. I pray for them and for their families and worry every time I hear about a boat sinking somewhere in the Bering Sea.
There are those of us that will miss seeing him on the show, but there are others who will miss him from their lives. I hope they can find comfort in knowing that he died doing what he loved, that he understood the value of hard work, and that he was always good at making people laugh.
Here is one of my very favorite Captain Phil moments:
I hope you'll all understand why there's no blog of the week this week. I just wanted to take a moment to honor Captain Phil and to express my condolences to his family and friends.
And I hope all of you will just take a moment to tell those close to you how much you love them. We never know when Death will come to claim us, and it's best not to live with the regret of missed opportunities.
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Good ole Captain Phil. He will be missed. Deadliest Catch will never be the same. He was the exact same age as I am now. That hits a little close to home. It makes one realize how short life truly is. Rest in peace Captain Phil. I know there's a special place in heaven just for you!
ReplyDeleteVery thoughtful of you to post, Karen.
ReplyDeleteI've only seen a few episodes, but I always liked him.
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet post. A little girl in my local town has just died because her father drove her into the river. So sad. I cant take my eyes off my little boy now. :(
ReplyDeleteNothing like eating crab leggs and watching Deadliest Catch! Capt. Phil will be missed. I love you Kar!
ReplyDeleteI loved watching him with his boys - teaching work ethic and respect. The best.
ReplyDeleteHe will be missed here in our little "Deadliest Catch" loving home.
What a thoughtful post. While I've never watched Deadliest Catch, I did used to watch Crocodile Hunter, and when Steve Irwin died, it was a solemn day in our house.
ReplyDeleteI've never watched it.
ReplyDeleteNever saw it, but that is sad.
ReplyDeleteI never saw Deadliest Catch, but from that crab farts clip he seemed like a pretty cool guy. Some people definitely leave us too soon.
ReplyDeleteI do have an award for you this week over at my blog.
i think we are related. i wrote about the same thing on friday.
ReplyDeletedont forget about the capt phil tribute show on 2/20.
happy hunting capt phil.
Your blog rocks can't wait for next post!!!
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I've seen a few episodes and am very sad about his passing. So young!
ReplyDeleteI've seen a few episodes and am very sad about his passing. So young!
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