After her dad suddenly passed away in the summer of 2010, Adrian Morse and her family have never taken a moment for granted. As a senior, Adrian said she has had her dad beside her every step of the way. He has been the biggest inspiration to her in all that she has accomplished.
“Going into sophomore year after he passed away made me realize I had a different outlook on life,” Adrian said. “The little things just didn’t matter, and I started to take things as a fun challenge and learned to do things that pushed me to my limits.”
According to Adrian, her dad was a genuine person that never broke a promise. He taught everyone to take risks and was always helping people in the community.
“They all adored my dad, and I know they saw a different side of him than I did,” Adrian said. “He was just always that person that would reach out and always did what he said he would do and never went against that.”
Adrian’s dad inolved himself in the music community of Kirkwood. He had his own 12 piece wedding band, one of the best in St. Louis, and helped kids start their own bands as well.
“He was always taking kids in,” Adrian said. “He not only wanted to reach out but he always wanted to share what he had learned in life with all those kids.”
As the dynamics at home after her dad’s death changed, Adrian, her mom and her younger sister learned to be more loving and patient with one another.
“It really taught me empathy and putting myself in other people’s shoes,” Adrian said. “It honestly really stinks that it had to happen but it just made me more aware of everything when I had to take the best out of the situation.”
Adrian and her sister, Helen, sophomore, have become each other’s support systems and have helped each other cope with the loss. According to Helen, it will be a tough change when Adrian leaves for college.
“It will definitely be different and hard because she’s one of my best friends,” Helen said. “But knowing she’s just a phone call away is reassuring.”
As Adrian’s senior year comes to an end, the passing of her dad has taught her to take the best out of every situation and realize life is too short to constantly be worrying about the little things.
“Just from him going so suddenly, it was such a wake up call,” Adrian said. “And in the end, it’s going to be all the good memories we had and how my dad made me feel. That’s what you’re going to always remember, is how a person made you feel.”
