Thanks everyone, for listening and replying. It helps, somehow to write things down. If I speak to people, I just start to cry.
My father has had a good life. He was generous with his time and money. So many people have called and spoken about how he helped them. Even after retiring, he did a lot of volunteer work. He gave unsparingly without ever expecting returns.
He has been a wonderful and loving father and an amazing grandfather. When I was a child even though he worked long hours, he would make it a point to spend some one-on-one time with me every day. There's so much he's taught me. Even though we were not well off in my childhood, he and my DM never let me feel like I was missing out on anything, we might not have had money but we did so many fun things together.
He was excellent at DIY work too, and could turn his hand to anything from upholstery to car repair. Even when I grew up and moved away from home, I would wait for him to visit and he would go around the house, fixing all the things I couldn't manage.
When my DC were born, he was so delighted. In every picture I have of them with him, they're glued to his side, even when there were other family members around. Any time he sat down, my DD would invariably end up curled up on his lap, or styling his somewhat scanty hair. When my DS was little, he drew him picture after picture of different types of cars and made a scrapbook for him, even though he was still working and had very little free time. It was a labour of love.
Throughout his life, he has been loving, kind, patient, positive, understanding and extremely hardworking. I love him with all my heart and always will.