I can't even imagine having that many years of life...but I'd be OK living 90 years if I had a life like his. He passed away just under a month ago leaving behind the coolest wife EVER...hands down, 3 happy, funny, amazing kids, who married great people and (if I do say so myself) gave him 8 AMAZING grandchildren. Not to mention the two (almost 3) great grandsons that are the cutest, smartest, sweetest etc... etc... etc... little boys that ever existed (according to their proud parents, grandparents and great-grandparents).
Grandpa not only had an amazing family (which is a tribute to his leadership), but was able to eat several snacks throughout the day along with his after dinner (cereal bowl full) ice cream, pretzels and cookies without gaining a pound. TALK ABOUT A GREAT LIFE! If you asked him what the secret to a long life was he would say "eat lots of red meat and no vegetables".
He was a hard worker (how many husbands do you know that clean bathrooms, serve their wives coffee every morning and pull weeds for 60+ years), a veteran, a Godly man who lead his family on prayer and laughter...I can't think of much more that a family needs.
I always enjoyed spending time with grandpa and I'm sure he had no idea how much I respected and looked up to him. I remember one summer when I went to the lake early to "help" grandma and grandpa get the house ready for the summer. I'm sure I wasn't the biggest help but I sure enjoyed the time as the only grandchild for a short time. Anyway, I was at the dinner table after (I'm sure) an amazing dinner that Grandma cooked while she was clearing the table enjoying our after dinner ice cream (see...HUGE help). We somehow started talking about maids. Grandpa said in his nonchalant way "I have had the same maid for over 50 years...I think I'll keep her"...it took me a second but grandma immediately started laughing her quiet laugh while washing dishes. That little back and forth showed me how important laughter is in a marriage...I'd seen it before and I saw it many times after but I loved that grandpa could joke that grandma was his maid and grandma knowing that he would never treat her like a maid could laugh at his comment. I know so many women who take things too seriously and a lot of men that worry about the words they use when talking to their wives...not my grandparents and thanks to them (and my parents...but lets face it no kid ever realizes their parents lessons until they are grown up) I realized what I wanted my marriage to look like.
Even though grandpa was a joker who loved "quiet" and got "excited" when we all left, he would stand by the door when we were supposed to be back and secretly loved being surrounded by all us kids all summer. I must say looking back it couldn't have been easy...2 grandparents, at least 2 mom's and 6 grandchildren, plus 2 dads when they weren't working and another 2 grandchildren and their parents when they weren't overseas in ONE house for a whole summer...talk about recipe for disaster, or at least annoyance. We were all always welcome and he was always happy to see us, but I didn't realize how happy summers with his family made him until I became a mother. I introduced my son (his first great-grandchild) to him when he was 5 months old. I was worried that Zack would cry and be loud, I was worried that all our stuff would be in the way, I wondered if we would be in the way while they were trying to pack and move. As soon as we walked in the door Grandpa took Zack and I saw a joy I had never seen from him, not that he wasn't a happy person but this was different.
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| notice how he is hogging Zack while Grandma is trying to also get some snuggle time... |
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| I have several pictures just like this...I don't know who is happier |
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| Grandpa let Grandma hold him in this picture...but I love that he took hold of his arm. |
It warms a mother's heart watching someone else love her child...I know he will never get to hold Hunter and I won't have pictures of him meeting Hunter for the first time, but I know by the tone of his voice when we told him we were expecting again that he loved our littlest as much as our big boy.
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