Unexpected

It was just like him to go without telling anyone. He was always the adventurous sort.

He was a legend. Truly. I would bet on 300 people at the funeral because everyone knew him, and he tried everything at least once. And if you ever ate beef or lettuce or used something that came out of a pipe, it’s likely he may have delivered it on his truck, where his true passion was.

He didn’t like chocolate. I remember learning that Grandpa didn’t like chocolate when I was very small, and my brain has yet to comprehend it. However, my brother found a bag of gummy bears on the counter. What 80-year-old guy eats gummy bears? (Exactly. That was the type of guy he was.) I knew I got that from someone.

Like a lot of men in his generation, he didn’t always know how to show love, and he was certainly not the cuddly grandpa type. But he always praised my successes, came to my graduations, and had a bit of advice for just about any situation.

This will change our family, as death always does. How do 5 adult children divide memories and possessions gathered over a lifetime when there was no warning, no plan, and a lot of memories that will make it difficult? Binding together at THIS time is the key to staying together when the head of the family is no longer there to lead. I will pray for that unity.