A Goodbye, To My Beloved Grandpa
To the grandfather who gave me the most precious thing I have.
Competitive. That is the first quality that comes to my head when I think of my Grandpa Korleski. It is a quality that I have definitely inherited, for better or worse. It was one of his greatest strengths and weaknesses, just as it is my greatest strength and weakness.
Anyone who has ever played Mexican Train or Peanut with him can attest to this. Those two games were played very often in the Korleski household and things could get quite intense, to say the least.
And Grandpa had his OWN set of rules that everyone had to abide by. "I can't cover this double, BUT I can play over here." We now refer to that as "Grandpa's Rule."
His competitive nature, especially when combined with my own, started quite a few arguments where everyone had to pick a room to calm down for a bit. Without a doubt, my grandpa was determined to win at EVERYTHING, big or small.
That same drive has also gotten him out of many rough spots in life. I don't have very many personal stories to share, unfortunately. Though I'm sure if you ask any of his children they would all be able to share at least one story where his determination to win helped him overcome challenges in his life.
While I may not have many stories specific, I know at least one other person who inherited his competitive nature besides me: my mom, Annalisa Renovitch. She grew up competing in horse shows. She bred and trained Grand Champion POAs. She inherited SO much drive and ambition from my grandpa and my grandma.
There is one gift that my grandfather gave me that easily outweighs any other I have ever received: My name. One of the last things he said to me before dementia erased his memory of me entirely was, "Did you know that I named you?" And he could not have given me a more fitting name: Victoria. Before he ever saw me he knew I would be victorious in my life. And because I inherited his competitive nature, I have been.
