GP

My dear Grandpa passed away on Friday. As mentioned in a previous post, he had a stroke about 2 weeks ago and he passed peacefully on Friday morning. This process has been surreal. First, it's rare that you get an opportunity to say goodbye to someone. When it comes down to having the opportunity - what do you say? When it's a one sided conversation - does he understand what I am saying? What is he trying to say back? Getting the opportunity to say "I love you", have him squeeze my hand and lean in for a kiss, have him pat my belly and see a picture of his 12th grandchild the day she was born, and getting the glimmer in his eye when I stared deep into his...that all was special and something I will hold on to forever. GP is in a better place now, but selfishly I will be sad to not have him in my life anymore. I am blessed to have had his love and support for 30 years - but I truly did enjoy spending time with him. He was funny, savvy, loving, sentimental, and stubborn. He didn't hold back in saying what he wanted to say. He loved a beer at any point in the day. He made the best beer pancakes - a tradition we will carry on (sounds gross - but strangely the best way to eat pancakes). He introduced me to the San Juans and gave me a knowledge of fishing, shrimping, and understanding the difference between harmless jellyfish and poisonous jelly fish. I always will remember walking the trails on Friday Island - being frightened by garder snakes, watching out for the many slugs, and looking out for deer in the distance. Grandpa was so proud of the totem pole that he carved and proudly displayed the many collections of my grandmas. He welcomed Kyle into the family with open arms - we even visited when we were dating and when we were married. We helped GP and Grandma Jane close up their house on Friday Island and witnessed him watch his beloved sailboat, The Stork, sail away. GP was emotional - a trait that was passed down to my mom, my uncles, and now to us. Grandpa gave a toast at each of our weddings - and barely could say hello before tears were running down his face. He loved his family - which was even more apparent in the more recent years. He loved being part of the gang - whether it was playing games, going boating, playing golf, or just chatting. One of my most recent memories was when we were talking about his life as an OB, his life with Grandma Mollie, and his life with Grandma Jane. He talked about using bunnies to test if a woman was pregnant, and then taking the bunnies home and eating them for dinner. He talked about a crush he had on a Helen Pennypecker - and to this day, he still gets a smirk when we bring up her name. Grandpa knew how to have a good time and just loved being around family. I will miss GP greatly, but always will cherish the memories I have with him.