A Great Story About My Dad

During my eulogy at my dad’s funeral two years ago, I talked about how it was up to those of us still here to keep his spirit alive — and we do that by continuing to tell stories about him.

So here’s one of my favorite stories about my dad on the ranch.

At our first Outstanding in the Field dinner in 2023, the actress Jessica Biel was here for the dinner.

(Our dear friend Shannon is close friends with Jessica, who, for whatever it’s worth, is super nice and super normal.)

As soon as my dad found out Jessica was here, he just about lost his mind.

And — my dad being my dad — he kept going up to Sarah and saying, “Sarah, I have to get a photo with Jessica before the night is over.”

To which Sarah replied each time, “Peter, no, you can’t get a photo with her. She’s here for the dinner and doesn’t want any attention.”

My dad respected Sarah’s wishes — for a while.

He walked around the long table — a huge smile all night — talking with everyone — walking over to the outdoor kitchen to talk to Chef Eduardo — and cracking jokes left and right.

I truly believe no one enjoyed that dinner more than my dad.

He’d watched us start all of this from scratch — supporting and cheering us on every step of the way — and no one loved North Bridger Bison more than my dad.

And that night — with a couple of hundred people from all over the world here for a special dinner on the ranch — he just thought it was so cool.

And during my speech before the meal, I publicly singled out my dad to thank him for all of his love and support — without which none of this would be possible.

Little did I know then that he’d unexpectedly go up to the stars a few months later.

When I think of Outstanding in the Field, I think of my dad, as he just loved that night so much — and I loved seeing him so happy and so proud.

Now back to Jessica.

She and her friends ended up sitting with us at the far north end of the long table.

And that was not a good decision for anyone.

My dad simply couldn’t handle it, and he kept asking Sarah if he could get a photo with Jessica, and Sarah kept telling him no.

Well — my dad being my dad — that wasn’t going to stop him.

So in the middle of dinner — totally out of the blue — my dad stands up, loudly claps his hands, and says, “Okay, I need to get a photo with these hot babes.”

Sarah laughs and screams in shock at the same time and says, “Peter, you can’t call them hot babes!”

To which Jessica and her friends replied, “Are you kidding? We’re all moms over 40, you can call us hot babes as many times as you want!”

Jessica and the hot babes then stand up, and my dad organizes a photo with them.

The photo is below.

Look at my dad — he is smiling and laughing so hard — it’s just priceless.

He got his photo with Jessica.

And, more importantly, he made the night more fun for everyone that was there — as he always did — and he gave us a great memory we’ll never forget.

—————

Happy Father’s Day, Dad.

I love and miss you so much there simply are no words.

— Matt