Dash Between: Paul Goode, 58, father, fisherman, hunter, coach

Paul Goode, silhouetted against the waters of the St. Lawrence Seaway in the Thousand Islands area of Canada, where he fished since childhood. (Photo courtesy of the family.)

Paul E. Goode's children say he was more than just a father to them.

"He was like my best friend," his son Gordon said. "We hunted, we fished, we camped. He treated us like equals sometimes. He always viewed us as his friends and not (as) his kids.”

When his four kids were young, Goode served as an adult volunteer/advisor/coach for their various activities, including baseball, softball, 4-H and Boy Scouts.

The auto mechanic from North Ridgeville, Ohio, who died of complications from cancer May 11, 2011, at age 58, also taught his kids, “Never give up on anything. Remember that life’s too short to worry about the little things.”

Click here to read Goode's Dash Between, which appropriately was published in the Father's Day 2011 edition (June 19, 2011) of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, and here to view his photo gallery.

Little Paul Eugene Goode and his father, Paul Edward Goode, show off the fish they caught in Canada in 1956. (Photo courtesy of the family.)

Dash Between: Les Slaman, 78, dentist, outdoorsman, trainer of bird dogs

Les Slaman with his dogs
Annie and Sam around 2007.
(Photo courtesy of the family.)

Les Slaman, who had been a dentist in Bay Village, trained English Setters and Weimaraners for bird hunting and field trials at his farm in Lodi.

The Dash Between Dec. 9, 1932, when he was born in Cleveland, and May 13, 2011, when he died at age 78, includes stories about his dog training philosophy, his playing baseball and basketball at Lakewood High School and his appearing on Captain Penny's children's TV show on WEWS TV to promote the proper way to brush teeth.

Click here to read his Dash in the June 6, 2011, edition of the Medina County Gazette and here to view his photo gallery.

Les Slaman after pheasant hunting on a farm in Creston, Iowa, with dog Willie in 1959.(Photo courtesy of the family.)

Dash Between: Dan Brattoli, 89, Army Air Forces pilot, Distinguished Flying Cross recipient

1st Lt. Dan Brattoli, a tactical reconnaissance pilot, sits on the wing of a P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft, which bears the nickname of his wife, Vernie. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters for his service during World War II. (Photo courtesy of the family.)

As a kid, Dan Brattoli built wooden model airplanes with flaps that worked through a lever inside and a tail that could be moved by a tiny joystick in the cab of the plane.

His love of flight and of country led to his serving in the Army Air Forces as a tactical reconnaissance pilot, who served in the Philippines during World War II. He left the service with a Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters.

After the war, Brattoli frequented Ohio airfields, where he rented planes and took members of his family for rides until he was around 50 years old.

Click here to read the story in the June 5, 2011, edition of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram about Brattoli's wartime service and the rest of The Dash Between Sept. 6, 1921, when the retired Elyria carpenter was born in New Lexington, Ohio, and May 4, 2011, when he died at age 89.

View photos showing Brattoli at various stages of life at this link.

Veronica and Dan Brattoli often could be seen holding hands, even in their later years. (Photo courtesy of the family.)