You took me back to Da's days at work - shirt/tie/coat/hat and long black fabric rain coat and low-cut rubbers to protect the wingtip shoes...how things have changed.
Once I was out of uniform, I wore a shirt and tie to work as a DOD civilian - since I retired, it's jeans and T-shirts for comfort....the shirt/tie/coat stays in plastic except for formal weddings or funerals.
My Dad taught me a lot and the biggest lesson was that one had to be able to laugh at oneself (if you couldn't do it, he'd laugh at you until you learned) because life was too precious to take yourself too seriously...grew up in a NRA home and learned to shoot at an early age and got into competition pistol shooting with dad over the years...almost always armed but the respect for life makes me pray to never have to use my weapon against another.
PS - my sister (who is with God now) also had certain issues...sometimes she'd give you the shirt off her back and other times she'd be downright venomous...there were times I didn't like her much but always loved her and spent the last 5 days of her life visiting the hospital room, and a few more days for the funeral...had to buy her kids proper clothing for the funeral but was glad to help - drove up from MS to Rochester to do it.
You pop sounds like he was a great guy.
And I am sorry for your loss of your sister.
It was a good deed you did buying clothes for the children and being there at the end.
As for laughing at oneself, there are few things more important.
If you take yourself and many other things too seriously, time just passes and all you did was make yourself upset and sick.
A great pop usually produces a great son and person.
It’s what the left will never get.