My Grandfather had just passed away.
My Grandpa "Tip" has been in the nursing home for the past year or two. With Alzheimer's, diabetes, a pacemaker with a battery in need of a charge and a perhaps sprinkling of undiagnosed Parkinson's this wasn't totally unexpected. You never want to ever let your loved ones go so it is always tough when they do leave.
I think my Grandfather lead a good life. He may of not been a rich,wealthy man, but what he lacked in riches he made up with in heart. Always the friendly guy who made his rounds around the small town of Baudette, MN, going to the gas station just to have conversation and check in on how people were doing. An avid hunter and fisherman. Always willing to lend a hand. The guy everyone knew and loved.
I doubt that life was always easy for him. He was a World War II Navy veteran. Was a recovering alcoholic for many many years, probably long before I was ever born. He'd grown up poor and had an alcoholic for a father.
The good and the bad shape how we are. And in Grandpa's case, I think every thing worked to make him a great Grandfather.
This coming Saturday is his funeral. I'm leaving Austin early on Friday to fly to Bemidji, MN, the closest big airport to Baudette. It's then a 2 hour drive to Baudette. Funerals aren't my favorite thing to attend. I think mostly because so much of the emphasis is on mourning the loss and not enough about celebrating the life that it was.
Hopefully this will be different, as Grandpa Tip had a great life.
My mother sent me a link to this video. Thought it might have been something her Daddy would have said as he went home:
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