This article is dedicated to my Papa who we lost on February 14, 2016. He was the most amazing man in the world. I know this is very personal, but I hope that you can relate in different ways. Rest In Peace Pop, I love you.

I had the blessing of being CD’s granddaughter for almost 19 years. He was a constant pillar in my life. Someone I could always rely on. For as long as I can remember I have seen him as one of the strongest, most respectable and reliable men in the world.

My Papa wasn’t a very emotional or talkative man. This only meant that when he spoke you listened and when he told you he loved you, you believed it. He never told a lie, unless he was joking around with you, which he loved doing. He was always a jokester. He loved to mess with waiters, waitresses, nurses and really just whoever was willing to listen. When we would go out to eat he’d always ask the server if they were serving ram, ham, bull, beef or bear. Which always confused them so much. I’ve seen a waitress offer to go back to the kitchen and ask for him before. That one got such a chuckle WE had to tell her he was joking. And when people would ask what CD stood for he got tired of saying that WAS his name so he started telling people it was Claudine De Lucifer. To this day I wonder if he ever let anyone truly believe that.

Most of my childhood was spent at my grandparent’s house. From afternoons after school to every day during the summer, we were constantly around my Papa. He spent his days working on the farm or in the garden. I learned more about vegetables than I probably ever needed to know and if you’re ever in need of getting a goat out of a fence I could probably assist. But he did other things too. He taught me more math than any teacher ever could have, we played checkers, he put the basketball hoop at 8 feet when I started playing basketball and then before I even asked he moved it to 10 feet when I got old enough. He fixed a lot of nachos and made sure we never missed a breakfast. We played a lot of checkers. He showed his love in acts, not in words. And let me tell you he never went easy on you in checkers. If you were going to beat him, you were going to do it on your own. I remember beating him one time and he got so excited he stood up and hugged me. He was a very smart man; not only in checkers, I don’t think anybody ever gave him enough credit for that.

He taught me a lot of things in my short life. First of all math, which I still hate. He laughed the day I told him that was going to be an English major. He taught me that hard work was important and that you shouldn’t expect a reward for anything you do. He taught me that family comes first before everything. He taught me about Jesus. He spent a lot of time reading us stories out of the bible, or just telling us about doing the right thing. My Papa was the first person to teach me to pray. Because of his early guidance and of course the help of others I was led to have a relationship with the Lord and that is something I will always be so thankful to him for. And then he taught me to get out of the way of the TV because he couldn’t see through muddy water.

I guess what I’m trying to say here is that my Papa was an amazing man. He was the BEST man. I want to let everyone in this room know that he appreciated you and loved you so much. My Papa loved the people that surrounded him. I have probably heard more stories about all of you than you would realize. And never was one of them a bad story.

For 55 years he was married to the amazing woman I call my Gaga. Every day of those 55 years he put her first and he loved her with everything he had. When his children came along he loved them just the same. He raised my dad to be the respectful and kind man he is today. I know that without my Papa we’d all be a lot crazier and a lot less loving people. Then his grandkids came along. He always joked that it was easier to love his grandkids more than his kids because he could send them home! He loved us so much. The days spent with my grandpa are something that I hold so close to my heart. He always wanted the best for us and if possible he made sure we got it.

As I watched my grandpa get sicker over the past few years a lot of things changed. His hearing got worse, he lost parts of his memories and he couldn’t move around as well as he used to. But there was one thing that didn’t change. Throughout my whole life when I would leave the house I would lean over the arm of his recliner and tell him I was leaving and that I loved him. Every single time he would reply, “Papa loves you.” I don’t know why he said it like that but he always did. Even when things got really bad for him, he still remembered to say it.

I miss you so much Papa. There is a hole in my heart, where you should be. I’m not sure how any of us are going to survive without the constant love, kindness, and wittiness you brought to our lives. Thank you for giving me 18 years of your life. It was a great 18 years. And I know that you’re probably saying “Papa loves you” about now.

Caity loves you too.