June is the Time to Celebrate and Remember Our Fathers

Father’s Day was first officially celebrated in the United State on June 19, 1910, in the state of Washington.  It then took another 58 years (in 1972) after President Woodrow Wilson had declared Mother’s Day to be an official holiday for dads to get their own official national holiday.  This year Father’s Day is June 16, as the holiday is celebrated on the third Sunday of the month.  

The earliest public event honoring fathers was in 1908 at a West Virginia church.  It was held in memory of 362 area men who had been killed in a tragic coal mines accident the year before.  It was a one-time commemoration and not intended to be an annual holiday.  

The first recognized celebration of all fathers took place at the Spokane, WA YMCA on June 19, 1910.  It was organized by Sonora Smart Dodd. Her father, William Jackson Smart was a single parent who raised six children.  Ms. Dodd had heard a sermon about the Mother’s Day celebration at Central Methodist Episcopal Church a year earlier and encouraged her church to have a similar event honoring fathers.  She had wanted it to be on her father’s birthday, June 5th, but her church’s pastors needed more time to prepare sermons so it was held on the third Sunday of the month. 

Our fathers hold a special place in our hearts and certainly deserve to have their “own day;” however getting fathers nationally recognized was not as easy as it had been to get a designated national holiday for mothers.  Throughout the years there efforts to make it a national holiday but it never moved forward. It wasn’t until 1966 that President Lyndon Johnson issued a presidential proclamation honoring fathers, and designated the third Sunday as Father’s Day.  In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed the holiday into law.

When MorningStar of Happy Valley assisted living and memory care community opens late this year, we will offer 61 graciously appointed suites for assisted living for our area’s beloved “mothers” and “fathers.”  Configurations will include spacious studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom floor plans (some as large as 865 sq. ft.). We will have another 27 secure suites devoted to the individualized, specialized care of those with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.  Please visit our website to learn more about our compassionate, loving community.  

MorningStar of Happy Valley represents the finest in senior living with our distinct mission statement: “to honor, to serve, to invest.”  With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve, we are honored to create a true “home” for residents.  Contact us for more information about one of the area’s best senior living communities.