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Her relationship with her father had been strained her whole life. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Tammi Leader Fuller felt called to stay with her dad in Florida and keep him safe. As their weeks together at Jerry Leader's home turned to months, the tensions between them simmered — until one argument unexpectedly sparked a loving new understanding.
Tammi Leader Fuller: It infuriated my father when I ditched my 34-year career as a television news producer in 2013 to create a weekend sleepaway-camp program for grown women. Even worse, that I started the business with my mother, Joan, who became a beloved fixture at camp.
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Jerry Leader: To leave a career where she had won Emmys? For camp? I thought she was nuts! And that she took my wife away from me made it worse. It drove us apart.
Tammi: My dad was always very hard on me, more so than on my two younger sisters. We loved each other, but we clashed — a lot.
Jerry: I was tougher on her because she was the firstborn and I had expectations for her that I didn't have for anyone else. Why? I have no idea.
Tammi: And I always pushed past him to get to my mom. She was my mentor, my cheerleader, my rock. Unfortunately, in June 2019, my mom had a fall at a camp in Pennsylvania, and the accident triggered her immune system to crash. She was in the hospital for five months before she died last November. Dad blamed me for taking her away when she should have been home taking care of him.
Jerry: Yep. I'm old-school.
Tammi: I felt like I'd lost both parents at once. But when COVID-19 hit, I was visiting Florida. My dad lives alone, and I couldn't leave him, even though one of my sisters lives around the corner. So I moved in to Dad's house. I cooked a feast every night, and after dinner, we'd set up the Bluetooth speaker on the patio and …
Jerry: … We'd listen to Sinatra, and I'd lead the band. And we'd laugh and share memories.
