You can buy a Zippo lighter for about $15 —but this one can’t be replaced. It belonged to my father.
He died in 1990 at 62-years-old. That’s too young. Smoking cigarettes probably had something to do with it and a lot of those cigarettes were lit with this lighter. You might feel that makes for an inappropriate memento, but that’s really reading too much into things. Believe it or not, smoking was once viewed as normal in America and smokers were not shunned, forced outdoors, or demonized the way they are today.
The lid on my dad’s lighter is a bit wobbly and I’m concerned it will fall off, so I’m thinking I might wrap it up and mail it back to Zippo. In Bradford, Pennsylvania, where they are are manufactured, Zippo has a special corner of the plant where they do nothing but repair their products. Unlike us, the Zippo Windproof Lighter carries a lifetime guarantee.
Speaking as someone who recently lost her father, I would never send that lighter anywhere for fear it would be lost. Never let it go — it’s a piece of your dad.
I agree, the wobbly effect is in part because of your father; you need to preserve it just as it is. I say wrap it up and keep it safe with other momentos. I have a parent who continues to smoke, no doubt that will be a factor in her demise.