Dan Tinman
Cleveland Heights, Ohio

My father made it clear that forgiveness and accepting responsibility are important. Those are the most important things I ever learned. I also learned perseverance from both my father and mother. They would say, “If you don't succeed, try again, and if you don't try, you have no chance of succeeding.”

My entire life, my mom has instilled perseverance in me. She would say, “Don't stop; don't sit down; keep on going.” She's had many adversities, and she said that she'll never quit. She's proving it – she is 85 years old and still working!

Rashied Reaves
Cleveland Heights, Ohio

My parents said, “Count to ten before you speak and always stay in the present moment.” My mother and grandmother said, “We are not down here long enough to stay mad at one another.”

Greg Liber
Lakewood, Ohio

One thing I noticed is that no matter what happened to my dad he always kept his sense of humor. It's something that I have carried with me all my life. Now that he's in his last days, I can still see his humor shining through.

My mother told me that there are always two sides to every story. I got to know from the beginning that there's always something more than my own limited viewpoint. By role-modeling they taught me that everyone's equal.

Bob Barrett
Lyndhurst, Ohio

The message I got from my father is to always, always, always do the right thing, and don't lie.