Friday, December 20, 2013

A great man- Remembering My Grandpa

 
 

The world lost a patriot and a great man this past month.  He impacted many lives with his generous and caring heart and he will be greatly missed.  Though there was no story on the news of his passing, no parade or statue erected in his honor, to my family and those who's lives he touched, he was far more valuable than any of those things. This man was my Grandpa.

My Grandpa was born and raised on a farm in Nebraska.  He and my Grandma moved to California, when he was stationed here, after joining the United States Marine Corps where he served in the Korean war.  He and my Grandma raised 6 boys who went on to give them 21 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.  He worked hard every day of his life, doing everything from meat packing and running his own meat delivery route, to working parts delivery for local Ford dealerships. 

My Grandpa LOVED Fords! It was a huge passion of his and he loved working on cars, driving cars and just looking at and/or talking about cars.  He was a Godly man who instilled strong values into his children and taught them the importance of Family.


As my siblings and I travelled back to Nebraska this past week for the funeral, we reflected on the many good times we shared with him.  My Grandpa could always be found in his typical "uniform" of Blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt, or a cowboy style shirt with pearl snaps.  I remember as a kid sitting on his lap and staring at the multi-colored reflections in the faces of the snaps.  I remember fondly how he smelled of a mixture of  car grease, bacon, lava soap and the orange scented cleaner he used to remove car grease from his hands.  I remember him giving us "tours" of his massive garage and being in awe of all the magnificent Fords in his collection. I remember my siblings and I each picking our favorite one and arguing over who got the best ones.  I remember taking turns riding with him on his riding lawn mower in the backyard.  I remember the pastel colored mini marshmallows he would give us as a snack whenever we would come over.  I remember his amazingly classic and subdued sense of humor.  He would insert the funniest things into normal conversation but was so serious when he said them that it made it ten times more hilarious.

He was one of the good ones, one of those classic old-school guys people just loved to be around. A reminder of a friendlier time, from a generation who's ways we have left behind and forgotten in so many ways.  A generation that knew that family and hard work are the only things that matter in the end.

In preparation for heading out for the funeral, I thought of something nice I could do for my Grandma.  I had recently seen some Ford Mustang fabric at Jo-Ann's so I grabbed some (along with some red fabric with white hearts on it) and made her one of my mesh tote bags. My Grandpa loved his Fords so much!  I thought she might enjoy the pleasant reminder of her sweetheart of almost 60 years.


My Grandpa will be missed by so many, in so many ways.  I know, however, that he lives on inside me and all of my family members.  He taught us all and influenced who we have become in so many ways.  The world could use more kind and courteous souls like him.  During my Dad's talk at Grandpa's funeral, he mentioned one of the many influences of my Grandpa, his deep rooted value of common sense and courtesy.  I had called my Dad a few months ago to share about an incident involving one of our pet peeves.  My Dad always taught us that after you press the button to summon and elevator, you move away from the doors to allow any current passengers of the elevator to be able to exit without you being in their way. I expressed to my Dad how bugged I was that as I was trying to leave the elevator that day, someone else was already on their way into it as I was exiting, and how frustrating it is that no one seems to have common courtesy any more! (I even jokingly said to him "Was everyone not raised by my Dad and taught these things???") After my Dad re-told of my frustrations to the rest of the funeral guests, he turned to me in the crowd and said "That wasn't me who taught you that, it was Grandpa, because he taught me."

My Grandpa put high regard to walking through this life not just for yourself but for those around you.  In everything he did and taught his boys, it all came back to not going around as if you are the only one that matters and that being cognisant of others makes the world a better place for you and those around you.  I think we need more people in the world like him!  I only hope that I can raise a family of my own and carry on the virtues he taught my father and him to me.  Thank you Grandpa for the wonderful memories and the Amazing family I am so blessed to be a part of. We love you! Rest in peace from a life well lived!

4 comments:

Friday, December 20, 2013

A great man- Remembering My Grandpa

 
 

The world lost a patriot and a great man this past month.  He impacted many lives with his generous and caring heart and he will be greatly missed.  Though there was no story on the news of his passing, no parade or statue erected in his honor, to my family and those who's lives he touched, he was far more valuable than any of those things. This man was my Grandpa.

My Grandpa was born and raised on a farm in Nebraska.  He and my Grandma moved to California, when he was stationed here, after joining the United States Marine Corps where he served in the Korean war.  He and my Grandma raised 6 boys who went on to give them 21 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.  He worked hard every day of his life, doing everything from meat packing and running his own meat delivery route, to working parts delivery for local Ford dealerships. 

My Grandpa LOVED Fords! It was a huge passion of his and he loved working on cars, driving cars and just looking at and/or talking about cars.  He was a Godly man who instilled strong values into his children and taught them the importance of Family.


As my siblings and I travelled back to Nebraska this past week for the funeral, we reflected on the many good times we shared with him.  My Grandpa could always be found in his typical "uniform" of Blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt, or a cowboy style shirt with pearl snaps.  I remember as a kid sitting on his lap and staring at the multi-colored reflections in the faces of the snaps.  I remember fondly how he smelled of a mixture of  car grease, bacon, lava soap and the orange scented cleaner he used to remove car grease from his hands.  I remember him giving us "tours" of his massive garage and being in awe of all the magnificent Fords in his collection. I remember my siblings and I each picking our favorite one and arguing over who got the best ones.  I remember taking turns riding with him on his riding lawn mower in the backyard.  I remember the pastel colored mini marshmallows he would give us as a snack whenever we would come over.  I remember his amazingly classic and subdued sense of humor.  He would insert the funniest things into normal conversation but was so serious when he said them that it made it ten times more hilarious.

He was one of the good ones, one of those classic old-school guys people just loved to be around. A reminder of a friendlier time, from a generation who's ways we have left behind and forgotten in so many ways.  A generation that knew that family and hard work are the only things that matter in the end.

In preparation for heading out for the funeral, I thought of something nice I could do for my Grandma.  I had recently seen some Ford Mustang fabric at Jo-Ann's so I grabbed some (along with some red fabric with white hearts on it) and made her one of my mesh tote bags. My Grandpa loved his Fords so much!  I thought she might enjoy the pleasant reminder of her sweetheart of almost 60 years.


My Grandpa will be missed by so many, in so many ways.  I know, however, that he lives on inside me and all of my family members.  He taught us all and influenced who we have become in so many ways.  The world could use more kind and courteous souls like him.  During my Dad's talk at Grandpa's funeral, he mentioned one of the many influences of my Grandpa, his deep rooted value of common sense and courtesy.  I had called my Dad a few months ago to share about an incident involving one of our pet peeves.  My Dad always taught us that after you press the button to summon and elevator, you move away from the doors to allow any current passengers of the elevator to be able to exit without you being in their way. I expressed to my Dad how bugged I was that as I was trying to leave the elevator that day, someone else was already on their way into it as I was exiting, and how frustrating it is that no one seems to have common courtesy any more! (I even jokingly said to him "Was everyone not raised by my Dad and taught these things???") After my Dad re-told of my frustrations to the rest of the funeral guests, he turned to me in the crowd and said "That wasn't me who taught you that, it was Grandpa, because he taught me."

My Grandpa put high regard to walking through this life not just for yourself but for those around you.  In everything he did and taught his boys, it all came back to not going around as if you are the only one that matters and that being cognisant of others makes the world a better place for you and those around you.  I think we need more people in the world like him!  I only hope that I can raise a family of my own and carry on the virtues he taught my father and him to me.  Thank you Grandpa for the wonderful memories and the Amazing family I am so blessed to be a part of. We love you! Rest in peace from a life well lived!

4 comments: