Gelkote

I was pulling in from work Friday evening as the phone rang.  It was my Mother calling to let me know my Grandfather wasn’t doing so well.  His sugar was bouncing around, his ankles were swollen and he had fluid in his lungs.  It was only a matter of time before he passed due to congestive heart failure.  I immediately planned to visit him Saturday but that wasn’t soon enough.  He passed Saturday morning around 1:00 AM.

A Younger Grandpa

I asked Cherie if she thought he stuck around or if he was gone.  She said he ran for Grandma because he really missed her.  Her words brought tears to my eyes but I couldn’t be happier that his time of poor health and nursing homes is finally over.

Spruce Knob (Highest Point in WV – 4,863 Feet) – October 13th, 2000

The last time I visited him was July 27th and 28th.  He was in good spirits but ready to go. He had Cherie and I run to buy him some blackberry brandy.  It was a ghetto liquor store with folks peddling pre-release movies on DVD and all the booze behind a fenced in counter.  They only had one kind.  The bottle was dusty but he didn’t care.  It was his liquid oasis.

Grandpa’s Final Toast – July 27th, 2008

The last few weeks I’ve had a terrible dread in my heart but couldn’t place it.  It is gone now so I’ve either figured it out or everything has come into perspective.  Omen or not, I rented The Savages last weekend.

Cherie has a nice post with some of her memories, photos and videos. Check it out if you’d like to see me and Grandpa match wits. I’m pretty sure he kicked my ass in the end.

Grandpa, you will be missed and never forgotten. Send Grandma my love and I’ll see you someday, sometime.