RockinRobin. Thank you for mentioning that there actually were some good things about your dad and that in the end you actually respected, liked and admired him and found him funny.
(Reminds me of my parents in some ways too. They have good things about them and they also have bad things about them. So, I suppose, do most people. Some are just more extreme about it than others.)
In some ways it is actually even harder to deal with when the same people genuinely do have good things about them. On the other hand, it is at least good to know that your dad wasn’t actually an all-around bad *person* but just a bad *father* (that sounds so bad when I put it that way, though @___@).
Sorry to hear of all your troubles but glad that things are at least going better for you and your family now.
Best of luck. ^___^