My Grandpa John just passed away after a very short fight with cancer. While it wasn't a complete shock, it was pretty unexpected.
He and my Grandma Ruth were our adoptive grandparents — my dad lost his parents many years ago, so they stepped in to fill that void. And such a special man he was.
He was a railroad man — Santa Fe. A union member, and quite possibly, my favorite Democrat. :) He and Grandma lived for some years in Southern California, then relocated to Topeka, Kansas to follow his job, and back to California after retirement.
They raised bassett hounds, angus cattle and persian kittens, as a hobby, and for income. And nobody could grill a better steak, angus hamburger, or stuffed pork chop, although my dad gave him a run for his money.
Somewhere up in heaven, I'm quite sure that God commanded an angel to break out the reel-to-reel machine, because that's how Grandpa still played a lot of his music. Those new-fangled eight tracks were no match for the reel-to-reel. :)
Above all else, my Grandpa John was a man of faith. Our faith teaches us that we can grieve with hope, because we know that goodbye is not the end. And that makes the fact that we miss him already, a little bit easier.
We miss you, Grandpa. We'll see you again soon.
amen. well said son.
Posted by: Grammie Klein | September 23, 2008 at 09:43 AM