THEY live among us, nice guy alert !

Great to hear this.
Love the story too, except the part about your dad passing so early in your life.
I can relate though, my dad passed when i was 16 too.
Similar story to yours, except i was learning to drive on a '69 GMC 3/4 ton with a 350 and a 4 speed. He would get on my case for trying to shift too fast, i would get on his case for riding the clutch......lol!