Marci Tangi

I adored our father.  I think I spent most of my childhood sitting on the floor looking up at my dad and watching him tell story after story, using different voices and expressions, all to entice his audience–be it me or a room full of people.  As I got older, I found a career as a hair designer/educator, that I also embraced with the same enthusiasm as my father had created with his work.  Next thing I knew, I was enticing audiences with story after story, using differenct voices and expressions.

One of my greatest memories of my father is about his hair.  Of course, it would be his hair because I became his personal hair stylist.  In retrospect, what amazes me is that he let me cut his hair, particularly in the beginning when I wasn’t all that good.

When perming for men in the 80’s became popular, my father became a dark, handsome Italian with wavy hair instead of straight.  He loved the idea of the Wave!  Every 6 weeks he came to my salon and I permed his hair.  He loved it and everyone in the salon loved it.  While he was in my chair, he’d tell tales of great adventures, funny jokes and for 2 hours every 6 weeks he would not only bring joy to the salon but also to me.

Our father was a man of great passion, great faith and great love for life.  Or did I just describe myself?  Of course I did, because that to me is his greatest legacy–passing on to his children the art of living life to its fullest. 

As my sister embarks on this journey of “diggin-up” our dad, I can’t help but feel his presence.  He would have loved the internet, loved that people were coming together and sharing their memorie and he would have especially loved the attention.  He would have been so proud of my sister, talking non-stop about her skills as a writer and how she must have got that from his side of the family.

I would like to thank everyone for contributing their memories of our father.  I still love a great story and hearing what others thought of him reminds me to remember his life lessons.  To me he was so much more than “Patty the Plate,” “Wilma the Worm,” and the “Kwik Brothers.”

Marci Tangi
Sister, Daughter and Hair Designer/Salon Owner
Tangi’s Salon