CHILDREN GIVE SPECIAL DAD LOVE, ASSISTANCE

For Father's Day, most children give their dads a tie or a T-shirt, maybe even a set of tools. But not the children of Ed Propst, a Cape Girardeau resident. His children are giving him back something he gave them years ago -- love and assistance.

In April, Propst, 69, underwent three operations at one time, including a quadruple bypass, which left him too weak to make needed repairs on his 30-year old home. This Father's Day his children are coming from all over to finish the repairs for their father -- to help him in the way he helped them.

"He's always sacrificed everything for us all our lives," said his son Kevin Propst, an entertainer who just flew in from Denver. "It wouldn't matter to me if David Letterman called and asked me to be on his show; I would be here for Father's Day no matter what."

His brother Terry Propst came in from Nashville, Tenn., and Ed drove in from Boonville. Their "adopted" sister Rosemary Steger and her son Jeff Counts came in from St. Louis, all just to help out the man they call "dad."

Their mother, Louise Propst, said it was entirely the idea of her children. "I was so happy to hear they'd all be coming to help out," she said. "For them to do it on Father's Day is so sweet, it's the best gift they could give him."

The family will spend the weekend painting shutters, cleaning out storage buildings and doing electrical work. The father made out a wish list for his children, and they intend to finish all the work on it.

"We have to, or we don't get to eat," the younger Ed Propst said with a grin. "They make us do the work, then they feed us."

The children feel that coming home and helping their dad out was the perfect gift.

"You can always go to the store and get your dad something, but this will last and this will mean something to him for a long time," said Steger, who has considered Propst to be her father ever since she was 9, when her biological father died.

When their father's health began failing, the family was devastated. "We were just numb, we couldn't believe this was happening to us," Kevin Propst said. "But even when he was in the hospital, Dad never once complained."

Ed Propst Sr. has always made time for his children. He was always there to teach his children and to offer them love and support.

"It was important for me to be there for my children," said the father. "I taught them how to repair things around the house, but I think I taught them more than that. I taught them love and respect."

The family worked all day Saturday to get the work done, so they could enjoy their father's company today.

"We're so grateful to still have him with us," said Louise Propst. "This is the best Father's Day we could have ever hoped to have."