Sunday, September 20, 2015
This is a version of a speech given at Don's funeral, printed here at the request of family and friends who could not be in attendance.
I hadn't grown up knowing a grandfather, so when Don and Dora (my grandmother) married when I was seven, I received a bit of an education.
Here is what I learned about my pop-pop:
He had served in the Navy.
He played football in college.
Before he retired, he had earned an honest living and supported a family of five.
He lived in a nice, big house not far from [the church] that came with a bonus aunt upstairs who was great at telling stories and baking cakes and making people laugh.
He opened his house to strangers.
He was a caring husband to my grandmom.
He was handy.
My pop-pop washed the dishes and whistled, sang, or hummed as he worked.
He really enjoyed his grandchildren.
He played board games with us. He read us stories.
He sat us on his lap and talked to us.
He set up croquet for us, and let us help him around the yard and in the garden.
When it was time for us to leave, he would always give us a hug and a kiss and say, "I love you."
He was a man of faith, and active in his church.
He could always be counted on to have a bag of hard candy on him for the kids.
When he sang, he sang well and heartily, which I appreciated, since it made it less likely that people would hear me.
I will always remember his voice, and I will always be grateful to have had him in my life.
May he rest in peace.
