A year ago today, my sweet Grandpa passed away. I miss him. I’m amazed at how the grief comes and goes. Many many times Grandpa will come to mind during the most random moments. More than once I’ve become teary at McDonald’s, thinking how he LOVED his “senior coffee”. I wish my kids would’ve known him like I did. I was blessed to have him in my life. I’m oh SO THANKFUL that I got to tell him about the news of us bringing home a daughter from China. I just wish I would’ve shared her name with him. He was so happy for us. Oh how blessed I was to have such a kind Grandpa.
Below is what I wrote for his funeral last year:
These were the words I was often greeted by Grandpa. They always came with a ready smile. When Grandpa spoke with you – he listened to every word. As his granddaughter, it was clear that he loved me & genuinely cared about what was going on my life.
Some of my earliest memories of Grandpa was him taking my siblings and me out for ice cream at local diner in CT. He would get us off the bus and off we would go, eating ice cream just before dinner time. It was there that he instilled in us how to calculate the waiters tip, practice our multiplication tables and teach us a mean game of tic tac toe.
I have so many wonderful memories of our visits to Ohio – walking in the woods, exploring in the barn, many many trips to the Eaton Place, going for tractor rides with Grandpa, but I think I really enjoyed the few times I was able to go to work with him the best. I was absolutely fascinated by his work. I enjoyed driving all over the county going from farm to farm with him, having lunch just the two of us & being absolutely AMAZED that he knew someone EVERY WHERE WE WENT! JGrandpa was one of the most social people I knew. He had the gift of being able to talk to just about everyone.
Grandpa and Grandma would have celebrated 70 years of marriage this January. What a beautiful example they have been to watch over the years. I have watched them kiss each other more times than I can count! I watched them hold hands for years. I have been beyond blessed to call them my Grandparents.
When my husband & I announced that we were adopting – there was nothing but a pure Joy reaction from Grandpa! Grandpa and Grandma have loved my kids as their own flesh & blood. I can’t even tell you HOW MUCH this means to us. THIS was the best gift they have ever given me.
When I was a young teen (perhaps even a bit ornery 😉 ), I wanted to see if Grandpa took his faith seriously. I left a note in Grandpa’s Bible, wondering when & if he would actually see it. Well – it wasn’t long at all before he thanked me for that note. That really stood out to me. He didn’t just read his Bible on Sundays – but he showed me that his faith was REAL. This made quite an impression on me.
Every year Grandpa and Grandma went to Hawaii for several weeks. I was lucky enough to be able to visit them there. If you didn’t know it…Grandpa was the official tour guide of Hawaii (ha ha!). He was so proud of this gorgeous island and thoroughly enjoyed showing it off to me. It was truly a special time that I will never forget. Each week, Grandpa and Grandma would stand and pass out hundreds of mini Bibles to people leaving a hula show. I believe that over the years, they have passed out thousands of them. What a testimony! Because of Grandpa’s faith in Christ, I know I will see him again. I’m so thankful for the man he was & what a wonderful example he has been to me.
