Randy has been my stepdad for nearly 30 years. He married my mom just in time to take on her 2 crazy out-of-control teenagers. He even risked his life teaching me how to drive a clutch. I lived with my mom and Randy until I dropped out of college at the age of 22. He was disappointed because he wanted me to have a career and a retirement. But, he eventually accepted my unorthodox choices, and has welcomed my punk rock and tattooed friends with open arms and without judgement.

Randy never treated me like a step-daughter, but like I was one of his own daughters. So Randy was one of my dads . . .

• He was the dad that would take care of me after surgery.
• He was the dad that took me in after every divorce and was sad when I got back on my feet and moved out.
• He's the dad that helped me raise my daughter.
• He's the dad that took excellent care of my mom, especially when she had cancer.
• He's the dad that wouldn't shake hands with anyone I dated because they were never good enough to be around my daughter and I.
• He's the dad that showed me the way a man should be and became a role model for what type of person I should look for in a companion.
• He's the dad who made family a priority.

Randy called me "Fea Bruja" . . . which means ugly witch. And he called me "Jugly." He would say that ugly was skin deep, but Jugly is ugly to the bone. We used to always jokingly tell each other "I don't love you" when we parted, or were ending a phone call. To Randy, I want to say "I don't love you. And I don't miss you very, very much!"

In rememberance of Randy's special nicknames for the loving girls in his life, Danielle had "Jugly to the Bone" tattood on her arm; and Randy's granddaughter, Hailey, had "Jugly to the Bone" tattood on her leg.