My Papa

This last week my grandpa, my papa, passed away.  I am deeply sad about everything, and I was definitely shocked.  But I am going to use this blog as a way to remember my dear grandfather.  I grew up with my grandpa for the first five years of my life.  I lived there while my mom went to college before my parents got married.  Therefore, my grandpa had a big impact on my growing up years and raising me in general.  He was so special to me and taught me some fundamental elements as I was growing up.  

My papa was very dedicated.  This was something that was brought up at his funeral, and I agree completely.  He was a part of the military and was a medic when he toured Vietnam.  Since he was a part of that, he has been a dedicated member of the VFW in Sibley.  He would often be a part of military reunions and a part of the funeral services for other veterans.  He was incredibly dedicated to his job as a veteran.  He was also a worker at the courthouse for 49 years.  He was really good at his job, re-doing the county roads, sometimes even receiving awards for the best roads. He lived in the town of Sibley his whole life and was married to my grandma for almost 49 years.  All of these are really long numbers.  Not that a person is dedicated only with these long numbers, but it does show that my grandpa in particular was in anything for the long haul even for the ups and downs.  

Papa also was very good about doing great with the things that he had been given.  He wasn’t blessed with the biggest family.  He had only two daughters, my mom and my aunt, and then only two grandchildren, me and my cousin Blake.  However, I know that at least for me, I had the best grandpa.   He made sure to help raise me even though he had already had his children and didn’t need to help raise another child.  After this, he made sure along with my grandma to be at every dance recital, almost every concert, and a handful of games that I was playing.  (He especially loved going to volleyball tournaments where he would be waiting to get a hot dog at 8 a.m.) Papa should be remembered by 20 grandchildren because he was that wonderful, but he never complained about that and rather made it so he was the best grandpa for the two grandchildren that he had. 

My papa showed his love for his family and friends through great service.  I know that my grandpa loved me.  Any time that I had a question about something, he was willing to answer my questions or would just fix it.   He would always state that he could “fix anything, but a broken heart.” He would too.  He could fix anything that was broken.  (He also did often help fix my broken heart in my growing up years.) Even just this summer, my papa walked me through putting air in my bike tires and fixed my taillight in my car.  My mother has had my grandpa’s help in her creation of her three seasons room.  He absolutely loved being able to do things like this for his family and his friends, even if there would be times when you would hear a string of cuss words coming out of frustration. 

My Papa was a wonderful man, and he was one of my favorite people.  I know that I will always love him and remember him.  There will always be things that remind me of him.  The following poem is a poem to just highlight some of the things that I will remember my papa by. 

My Papa (When I…)

When I see a smiley older man,
When I hear a grandpa, or a papa,
When I eat a hot dog,
I will think of you

When I see a military salute,
When I hear the National Anthem,
When I listen to taps,
I will think of you

When I see a set of tools,
When I hear about the Yankees,
When I shop at Menards,
I will think of you

When I see your picture,
When I hear your voice in a recording,
When I listen to your favorite songs,
I will think of you

I will think of you
I will remember the good times
I will keep you in my heart
I will always love you