My mom’s dad died last night. That’s both of my grandpas within 3 months of each other. The good news is I have no more grandpas to lose…so this year’s looking up. The bad news is my family is mourning our loss. Please pray for my grandma as she misses her husband dearly. I am going to fly out tomorrow night for the wakes Thursday and Friday and the funeral on Saturday. Unfortunately, Andrew won’t make it with me. It’s a lot of money for two people to fly across the country last minute. Pray for safe, easy travels!
My grandpa was awesome. When we were little we had so much fun with him. Every single memory of my Grandpa is a fond one…here’s a few worth mentioning:
-When they lived in Florida we would have belly flop contests in the pool. He always made the biggest splash.
-He would take us fishing a lot. Not that we would catch anything…he would pretend there were alligators everywhere…until that time he didn’t have to pretend and there really was one. Looking back it’s funny.
-I distinctly remember my mom’s horror when she looked in the backyard in NJ and my brother (all of 3 or 4 at the time) was peeing on a tree. “WHERE DID YOU LEARN THAT?!”…”Grandpa taught me!”
-One of my favorite Grandpa-isms was when we asked him to say Grace. It was either, “over the lips and through the gums, watch out stomach here it comes”… or the ever clever Bart Simpson one-liner…”Grace.” Followed by a boisterous, belly laugh.
-He called me and my cousin Lauren, also a redhead, “spaghetti and meatballs”…we were joined at the hip. He had the quintessential Grandpa knee grab. You know, the one that gets you and you don’t know whether it tickles or hurts but you are squriming like crazy and lose all bodily control. Lauren and I would ride together on the front bench seats and he would get us both at the same time…yet manage to not crash the car.
-Every time we visited him or he visited us we would wake up to coffee and donuts and the NY Post. I have an affinity to a good cruller or scone thanks to him.
-He also had some awesome stories from his days as an officer for the NYPD…and later a bus driver. Every time we went to Florida we would ask to see his gun. We thought he was THE MAN.
If there is one thing I will never forget about my Grandpa…it was his patience and his sensitivity. He was the most patient person I have ever interacted with. And he had a sensitivity that always matched mine and made me feel loved. Growing up in a loud, Italian family things can get crazy, but he always knew when to give you a good hug or when the jokes went a little too far. When he was healthy and younger he would sit back and take everything in…never angered…never judgmental…always kind…always laughing. He was a light to others.
We always joked that Gramps had 9 lives. He was a heavy smoker for years…a heavy person…and a diabetic. Not exactly a clean bill of health. Not to mention the several strokes he suffered from when I was about 12. But, the man kept trucking, kept pushing onward…always with a laugh and a smile.
I am sad my Grandpa died at a relatively young age. But, I know he had been suffering with illness and infections these past few months and it was a lot for his body to handle and for my grandma and family to watch. I know without a doubt his suffering is over and he is home…pain free, with a full heart.
As my brother Matt put it, “Grandpa Mac is swigging a pint and telling funny stories in heaven right now. Never forgotten.”
