You Will Be Missed.....

Got some devastating news today. My grandfather passed this morning. A few days after New Years Day he had congestive heart failure and was in the hospital ever since. Things did not look good at the start. But his condition had improved since Friday. So much that he was removed from the respirator and was alert and talking to my mom and aunt. His first words when he woke up from his sedation were, "I Want to Go Home" as he and my grandmother had been up from Florida since a few days before Christmas visiting with the family. But early this morning his condition suddenly worsened and he passed away.

He was the best grandfather a boy could have. My childhood memories have so much to do with him. Let me share with you a few things that are on my mind.

First off, he was really funny. As a kid, I can remember camping with my grandparents and my brother in their motorhome. A highlight of my childhood. We would play Uno and he would have us rolling in laughter with his jokes and general demeanor. During breakfast he would proclaim, "I Never Have Coffee and Donuts for Breakfast!" This of course as he was enjoying coffee and donuts for his morning meal. I don't know why it struck us so funny, but it did. Again his sense of humor struck a chord with me. And he could tell. He kept that joke going even on this last visit. On the very same camping trip, it was his unfortunate sense of direction and his sharp wit that caused the infamous "We're Going to Boston" episode my Grandma will never live down. There are so many funny moments that escape my memory right now, but his humor stays with me.

He loved dogs. And dogs loved him. If it wasn't for him, we probably wouldn't have had our family dog that we cherished for so many years. Rusty was a stray and he took him in, picked the 30+ ticks that were all over his body, and definately convinced my parents (although i dont know if they'll admit it) to keep the dog. We were living with my grandparents at the time and when we moved out, Rusty missed my grandfather. Everytime we said "Grandpa is coming over!", the dogs ears would perk up and he would get excited. Recently, they rescued a dog Gizmo and he made the trip during the holidays. That dog LOVED him. The first few days he spent in the hospital, the dog would look out the window waiting for him to come back. At night, the little Gizmo would perch himself up on the bed looking for Grandpa. Even though Gizmo will be with our family or my grandmother, he wont ever have a better owner.

I'm happy the family got to spend the holidays with him. My little cousin Michaela counted down the hours to when her Papa and Grammy were going to arrive, and I'm so happy that he got to spend some of his last waking moments with her.

As I close this letter i'd like to thank you for taking the time to read this. It was a tough little piece of writing to get through as I sit in this coffee shop waiting to pass the time to meet with my family.

I hope you enjoy the picture. This is from me and Sarah's wedding day and it is one of my favorite photos of the day. He really enjoyed himself and the band. He danced more than us!

We love you, Grandpa.