Paw Paw

On Saturday December 24, 2011 the world lost another great man. My paw paw passed away. I was asked by my in-laws to describe my paw paw and tell some stories about him. There are many things that can be said about him and the man he was. Here are the things that I know.

1. He was a hero. He was devoted to our country. He never talked too much about the army, but he served in a loyal and devoted way.

2. He loved my grandma, maybe more than any two people have ever loved. He taught me more about relationships and love than he will ever know. He showed all of his grandchildren how a man should love a woman, and my grandma in turn showed us how a woman should treat the man she loves.

3. He was a good man who did the right thing. Something that is not often found these days.

4. He loved ice milk. The picture is of him feeding me ice milk. He ate it almost every night.

5. He loved Hee Haw. That came with his love for country music. Snooping through his records is how I heard Patsy Cline for the first time.

6. He loved his grandchildren. My Paw Paw couldn't make it through church or even the store without telling someone that I was his grand-daughter and how pretty he thought I was and how smart he thought I was. He was always very proud of everything we did.

7. He had the best lap in the world and we never got too big to sit on it.

8. He was the best tickler ever. There is nothing in the world like being tickled by your grandpa.

9. He did the dishes. I don't know if he did them every night, but when we were there he always did the dishes. And I always wanted to help him. I still can't do dishes without thinking of him.

10. At the end of every meal he would say "turn the covers back Sara" even though no one in our family was named Sara

11. He talked to everyone. It didn't matter who it was, paw paw talked to them. He had a way of making people feel special.

12. He was always like an hour early to church. He rarely went to bible class that I can remember, but no one made it through the doors without him greeting them.

13. He loved to laugh, he was always teasing us or joking with us and every picture I've ever seen of him he always has a huge smile on his face (mouth open of course)

14. He loved peppermints, and candy and chips. And he LOVED my grandma's cooking.

15. He was spoiled to the bone. My grandma made him a hot meal every night, even when he was working at the post office, we would take it to him so it would still be hot... he would let us hold the baby chickens.. it was an even trade.

16. He lived a full life loved by Grandma, my Dad, my Mom, my Aunt Monica and Uncle John, my cousins Matthew and Deanna, my sister Erin and her kids, my brother Dwight and his kids and of course me and thousands of other people.

He was an amazing man, the very definition of a grandpa. Everyone should be blessed enough to have a grandpa like him. I know that God and the angels are so excited to have him in heaven. He is so very very special.