My dad died while I was in grad school (pancreatic cancer). He was the sole breadwinner for our household - it was a real wakeup call, but I also realize in hindsight that he probably negatively impacted my personal growth. I thought, while he was around, that supporting the family business would be a viable career path, but it was mismanaged and I disagreed with decisions he would make. Instead I have had a successful career in consulting and with large corporations. There was an interim period where I did manage the business, but ended up shuttering it/liquidating. It also resulted in my siblings getting full rides to compete their undergrad. I think in our case, experiencing the bottom fall out motivated us to not miss our shot.

I do miss him, but I can’t help but think it was for the better.