On Saturday, May 29, at 12:30pm my grandfather passed away. I wish I could have been there.
It's comforting to know, though, that he was with so many loved ones. My mom was down there with him along with my grandma and my aunts and uncles and my cousins. My mom said he went really peacefully and as selfish as it is that I still want him here, I'm so glad he's no longer suffering. Elder Holland came to visit my grandpa and he spoke to my family after he passed and answered some questions and really calmed everyone's spirits. He said some people have to suffer here on this life to come even closer to Christ - because it was Christ who ultimately suffered for all of us. And maybe my grandpa still had one more lesson to learn, and that's why he suffered - or maybe it was for someone who was there the whole time. We really won't know on this life, but there was a good reason as to why my grandpa had to endure the trials of the cancer.
It really was such a miracle that he was able to come to Grant and I's wedding. And not only did he just attend, he married us. He's the reason for a lot of things going the way they did in my life, and one of those is the fact that I'm married right now. Grant and I dated for a long time and my grandpa would always want to know about Grant every time I went to see him. He'd always sneak in the question: "Callie, are you still in love?" and I'd say "Yes! Grandpa, are you still in love?" And he'd look longfully at my grandma and say proudly, "Well, yes I am."
Side Note: I just loved how much my grandpa loved my grandma. As I've said before in an earlier post, they were more than just high school sweethearts. They grew up down the street from each other and my grandpa would always say that he loved my grandma for as long as he can remember, but she'd break up with him every now and then, whenever someone better came along. But she'd always come back to him in the end. And that is what mattered, he said.
So my grandpa would always take special interest in Grant and I's relationship - always asking me how it was going and how we felt about marriage. When Grant and I finally did talk about marriage, we were thinking far down the road like late July. But then we decided on a date in May (may 21st) and that was switched to April 23rd because of my grandpa. It really meant a lot to us to have him there, so we pushed up the wedding and planned everything around it.
He looked better that morning than I had seen him look in a long time. And just for us, he didn't take any pain medication because he didn't want to become loopy or stumble over his words. I can't believe all that he did for us and I'm so so grateful for him. Everyone was so grateful to have him back at the temple. All the temple workers absolutely loved having him and my grandma there - the president and matron back finally! And I could tell they loved it too. He made our ceremony in the temple the most special - better than I could have ever imagined. And what's more, he even came to our reception later on that night! I couldn't believe it! I know that took so much out of him. But it meant so much to have him there and get these great photos with him:
It's comforting to know, though, that he was with so many loved ones. My mom was down there with him along with my grandma and my aunts and uncles and my cousins. My mom said he went really peacefully and as selfish as it is that I still want him here, I'm so glad he's no longer suffering. Elder Holland came to visit my grandpa and he spoke to my family after he passed and answered some questions and really calmed everyone's spirits. He said some people have to suffer here on this life to come even closer to Christ - because it was Christ who ultimately suffered for all of us. And maybe my grandpa still had one more lesson to learn, and that's why he suffered - or maybe it was for someone who was there the whole time. We really won't know on this life, but there was a good reason as to why my grandpa had to endure the trials of the cancer.
It really was such a miracle that he was able to come to Grant and I's wedding. And not only did he just attend, he married us. He's the reason for a lot of things going the way they did in my life, and one of those is the fact that I'm married right now. Grant and I dated for a long time and my grandpa would always want to know about Grant every time I went to see him. He'd always sneak in the question: "Callie, are you still in love?" and I'd say "Yes! Grandpa, are you still in love?" And he'd look longfully at my grandma and say proudly, "Well, yes I am."
Side Note: I just loved how much my grandpa loved my grandma. As I've said before in an earlier post, they were more than just high school sweethearts. They grew up down the street from each other and my grandpa would always say that he loved my grandma for as long as he can remember, but she'd break up with him every now and then, whenever someone better came along. But she'd always come back to him in the end. And that is what mattered, he said.
So my grandpa would always take special interest in Grant and I's relationship - always asking me how it was going and how we felt about marriage. When Grant and I finally did talk about marriage, we were thinking far down the road like late July. But then we decided on a date in May (may 21st) and that was switched to April 23rd because of my grandpa. It really meant a lot to us to have him there, so we pushed up the wedding and planned everything around it.
He looked better that morning than I had seen him look in a long time. And just for us, he didn't take any pain medication because he didn't want to become loopy or stumble over his words. I can't believe all that he did for us and I'm so so grateful for him. Everyone was so grateful to have him back at the temple. All the temple workers absolutely loved having him and my grandma there - the president and matron back finally! And I could tell they loved it too. He made our ceremony in the temple the most special - better than I could have ever imagined. And what's more, he even came to our reception later on that night! I couldn't believe it! I know that took so much out of him. But it meant so much to have him there and get these great photos with him:
He is just the best grandfather. And I know that he is with the rest of his family that have already passed on, and he's perfect, and his main goal is to take care of his family who are still here on this Earth. I'm so glad I got to say goodbye to him. After the wedding, I went down to St. George 3 different times and the first two times I just saw him briefly, but on the third trip (which Andrea and I made) we stayed with him and we got to say goodbye. It was such a great goodbye too.Andrea first hugged him and then I went in and said, "Grandpa it's Callie. Can I give you a hug?" And when I leaned over the bed where he was laying, he squeezed me back. And while we were hugging he was whispering things to me - I couldn't understand everything he was saying but I know they were such sweet things. I know he was telling me he loved me and he was hopeful that Grant would take care of me. I could hear little bits and pieces of his words, but the spirit I felt was so strong and I just know he was telling me he loved me too.
It was a great goodbye.
I also want to note that my grandpa, though stern and strict at times, also had a hidden sense of humor. During his last few months and battle with cancer, this really came out. A couple of things to remember:
- My grandma had to tie a string to her pencil and then tie the other end of that string to the desk. This was because every time my grandpa would sit in that chair, he'd steal her pencil. So my grandma finally figured out how to keep the pencil there, and away from him.
- When learning that my mom was coming to visit my grandpa said, "When is Shannon coming? She's the only one that isn't mean."
- But then once my mom got there and spent some time with my Grandpa, all he had to say was "She's the one that I can't get rid of."
- When Grant first met my Grandpa, my whole family went out to dinner and he sat across the table from Grant, yet insisted on interviewing Grant the entire time - making everyone else stop their conversations and listen. It was truly awkward at the moment, but looking back, it was pretty funny. Grandpa always interviewed people - it's just how he showed interest.
- When Elder Ballard brought over his old walker for my grandpa to use, my grandpa got up to try it out, and then tried running away with it!
- When Grant and I were first dating, my grandpa had a hard time remembering his name (which is normal, since he had never even met him) and instead he would just make up other names for him, calling him Bernard and Harold. Once my grandma asked, "Who is Bernard?" and he replied, "You know. Callie's guy."
- My cousin Tanner had a similar experience. Except my grandpa called Tanner's girlfriend, "Twilight".
- When he came to BYU-Hawaii to speak, we hung out all that day and then that night he wanted to take me to dinner and beforehand he drove me back to the Turtle Bay, where he was staying, and said "If you want to wait in the lobby quick, I'm going to run up and change into something more casual." When he came back he was wearing another suit! I said, "Grandpa? That's more casual?" And he replied, "Well yeah, it's grey."
- When all of his children were younger, he'd make them all wait at the top of the stairs on Christmas Day until he had showered, shaved, and changed into a suit before he let them go down to see their presents under the tree.
- When my Aunt Sharmaine and Uncle Rick were still dating, they went to Candlewood Lake with my Grandpa, who took out his boat for about the first time. He had never driven it before, and he really wanted to try it out. So they all got in the boat, and without telling anyone, my Grandpa gunned it and threw everyone back. Then when they got their footing in place, my grandpa insisted that something had fallen out of the boat. And everyone said, "No, Dad, nothing fell out." and he kept saying "Yes, something fell out." And everyone would say, "No, nothing fell out." So he finally admitted "Well, yes, something fell out, because it hit me in the head!" And then they figured out the buoys had flown up when he gunned it, and hit him in the head!
- When my cousin Zach went on a hike with my grandpa up to fix the fences around his cabin, my grandpa couldn't stop talking about these wild berries that were everywhere and how they mae his favorite jam. When they got done fiing the fence, my grandpa stopped and picked some berries, all the while saying how sweet there were. But when he put the berry into his mouth he made the biggest sour face Zach has ever seen and held it for several seconds. He then didn't want to talk about the berries for the rest of the hike.
- When my grandpa cut his finger one year, he called the doctor and the doctor asked, "How deep is the cut?" In order to reply, he got out a ruler, bent his finger over, and stuck the ruler in and measured. He then came back to the phone and said, "Well, I think it's to the bone." And then he drove himself to the hospital.
There are so many great memories of him. And there's a lot of advice that everyone remembers because my grandpa was the best person to turn to for any type of advice. Here are just a couple of things to remember that were said from the family gathering.
- "No one looked better in a suit than Grandpa. It was like he was made to wear a suit."
- Grandpa always said, "If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing right."
- Grandpa told my Dad once, "Don, I start everything I do, or my day, with a to-do list. I put "to-do" at the top and I start listing." He really simplified things.
- My grandma said, "He lived that way. And he planned ahead. Even though he was so sick, he always said, "What's the schedule for tomorrow."
Though he's gone now, all the great memories and all the great work he has done will live on. His sacrifices and services will never be forgotten.
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