My Grandfather was probably one of the most inspirational people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. He didn't do anything extraordinary. He wasn't wealthy, and he didn't seem like the kind of person that would inspire an ambitious college student, but he did.
I know little of his past, only that he was stationed in Germany after World War II, where, as he said, they would goof off and have fun. He made the most of he time there; he learned the language and culture a bit and even discovered the Freemasons, which was a big part of his life until January 25, 2015, when he passed away.
After he returned, he met the love of his life, my grandmother, Betty. My dad told me, my grandfather had seen her once before actually speaking to her. She was a waitress that caught his eye. A friend that was with him encouraged him to go talk to her, but he was too nervous. Eventually, as fate does, they were brought together again at a dance, where he gathered his courage and asked her to dance. They fell in love and got married, a marriage that lasted 40 years.
After raising three kids, it was time for them to relax in retirement and enjoy being grandparents. They spoiled us with toys and always gave us peanut M&M's. As my grandmother's health began to fade, my grandfather's task become more difficult. She still wanted us to have everything we wanted, so she would send him to every McDonald's in Portage, Indiana, and even a couple towns over to make sure we had the whole collection of whatever toys they had. He did it out of the love for his family, something he valued above all else.
After she passed in 2002, he focused on taking care of the rest of us. He would drive my two cousins that lived in Portage to school every day and get them breakfast. He helped them with homework and even taught them how to play instruments. He did what he could for the rest of us, calling to see how things are going, encouraging us in whatever we were doing and even coming to the games that were close by.
Even on his death bed, he would laugh and make jokes to try and lessen the pain for the rest of us. When he got the news he had maybe a few months to live he even laughed and said, "I guess that means I don't have to pay my dues at the lodge". He could see the good in people and bring it out on occasion. My grandfather taught me a great deal in the span of 18 years, even though I only saw him on occasion. The lessons he taught to his family are invaluable and lesson I expect to pass on as well.
Though he is gone, he is never forgotten, and always missed.
