My Dad

On this day 23 years ago, my world was turned upside down... At first I started writing a sad post, but then I came to my senses and realized that this post is not about grief, but about the joy of the fact that my dad lived, and that his work lives on. It lives on in his children, both of them, in his grandchildren, all five of them, in his family, in his ideas, and in his inventions.

For example, my dad, Vadim Ilyich Stukalin, was an engineer and physicist who worked in electronics and created devices for spacecraft. He held many patents, many of them classified, so it is impossible to find descriptions of what they actually were, but I did manage to find one invention whose core principle is now used everywhere: the world around us is filled with devices where it is important to measure signals precisely, control their duration, and turn them into the required action. And although modern technology has become far more complex and is now built with entirely new components and microchips, the very principles my dad worked on are still alive today.

My dad was an engineer to the core. He always fixed everything himself: if a mechanical clock broke, he would take it apart, clean it, and repair it; if the TV broke, he would open it up, resolder it, and fix it. He could do anything. He had a workshop with a milling machine, a lathe, a grinder, a drill press, and woodworking equipment. He was constantly making something, coming up with ideas, inventing. He had grease-stained notebooks filled with sketches, drawings, and circuit diagrams. He made furniture, enclosed balconies with glass, repaired cars, he even designed and welded a stainless steel exhaust that would last forever and installed it on his own car. Rebuilding an engine on the balcony was perfectly normal and did not surprise anyone at home.

I think, actually, I am sure, that my dad was proud of me. I remember how he guided and supported me in my early efforts, and how it was thanks to him that I started programming. I inherited his passion for everything new, for searching, and for inventing. I have not accomplished that much in this area yet, but I will catch up. As a kid, I used to get terribly annoyed whenever I had to help my dad, but I could never say no to him. Now I understand that thanks to him I can fix just about anything. He taught me not to be afraid of difficulties and showed me that you can do everything yourself.

I believe that somewhere now, in Eternity, my dad has set up a workshop where he is building something incredible, continuing his life's work as an engineer in the heavenly office. I love you, Dad. I miss you, I remember you, and I thank you.