Dani Bishop
Ted was such a great person in every way. He loved working at Tamarack Sports and told me many times "I worked for 35 years to get to this job". He was so loved and appreciated by all of the customers and by his co-workers at Tamarack, along with the workers at Subway. Ted was one of the best workers my dad has ever had in the sporting goods section of Tamarack. He worked there for over 5 years and worked hard every single day. He was always doing something whether it was part of his job description or not. He took pride in how the store looked and always made sure the sporting goods and the parking lot were clean. In his spare time he would go out into the parking lot and pick up any little bit of trash he could find. He would get so irritated about all of the cigarette buts people would leave on the ground, but nevertheless that didn't stop him from doing what he thought was right. He loved to cook and bake and would proudly tell me his most recent concoction or newest recipe he tried. Every time we would get a new shipment of fish in the fish tanks, he would search through each tank to find the most unique fish and tadpoles and then would happily raise them in the store until they were big enough to release. He even bought a portable aerator to keep the fish alive, but he didn't always enjoy having to buy batteries so often. Sometimes he would even take them home and raise them at home, releasing them into his favorite nearby crick. One of my favorite things about Ted was his laugh, it was infectious and unique, a real hearty laugh. He told me so many stories about his life growing up, the places he used to work, the mischief he would often get in, the lessons he learned and the wisdom he gained with time and experiences. He brought to work several pictures of himself when he was younger and one picture in particular I will always remember: he had a full head of hair that was one big, brown, curly afro, he was really tan, and he had this cheesy little mustache, he said people kept mistaking him for a puerto rican. He loved that picture and always talked about how he missed his afro days. He talked a lot about his son and how he wished they were closer, I could tell by the excitement he had when talking about his son that he was proud to be his dad. Ted also loved fishing, probably more than any other hobby he had. He loved to talk about all the different places he was going fishing and would sometimes rant and rave about how Michelle loved Whitefish lake but he didn't like it because he could never catch anything; he still loved going though because he said he always enjoyed fishing with Michelle. I would say his favorite fishing spot was Altona, he loved it there. Ted was always thinking of others. When he made extra dessert, he would bring it into work to share with his co-workers, he often shared fruit with me, if customers came into the store after he had closed the sporting goods section, he would almost always open it back up for them to get a license or grab whatever gear they needed, he never made a fuss about it. We often joked about propane, especially during the colder months. He filled so many large propane tanks that it became our joke when he walked in for his shift I would tell him he needed to go fill a 500 lb propane tank. I'm so grateful to Michelle who was such a constant companion to Ted. She never left his side and supported him wholeheartedly. She changed her schedule and missed work to support him every step of the way. She was his angel on earth, always looking out for him, always standing by his side, always being there for him even after a long day at work. I'm so grateful that I got to know Ted and spend so much time with him. He was one of the best additions to Tamarack Sports and the community of Lakeview. He became one of my close friends and was always so open with me and encouraging. The greatest comfort of all is knowing he is in Heaven with Jesus, his savior. He loved Jesus and relied heavily on prayer during his time of sickness. We prayed together a few times and I was able to witness the greatest treasure that I will forever hold dear to my heart which was when Ted accepted Christ into his heart. I'm so sad that I will never see him again during this life, but I know with undoubted certainty that I will see him in eternity. I hope when it is my time to go, he is there waiting to greet me on the other side. Thank you, Ted, for being you. You are so loved and missed dearly. Until we meet again in Heaven! <3