Saturday, January 12, 2008

Unexpected Goodbye To Grandpa

Well, our unexpected visit turned into pretty much the worst case scenario. Shira and I arrived into California last night and found my grandpa unresponsive and on a ventilator.

This morning at about 4am, my grandfather passed away.

How did this happen? A few days ago he was a relatively healthy guy - still able to get around, crack jokes and complain about his e-mail. Sure, he was 86, but he was a sharp 86. And now he's gone. Just like that.

Need proof that life is incredibly fragile? There you have it.

My grandpa was the prototypical grandpa - infinitely kind and loving of his grandchildren. We could do no wrong. Whenever my parents would go back to Chicago to visit their family we would stay with my Grandparents, so I have many fond memories there. Looking back, even the most ordinary things, like goofing around at the desk he paid bills at (he had a big cup of pens which totally fascinated me) or counting the number of train cars that you could glimpse from an opening of trees in their back yard, were all such fun. To a kid, this was pure adventure.

As an adult, my Grandpa was always the most supportive and loving person I could ever turn to. Come to think about it, the only time I ever saw him get frustrated was when he was dealing with the computer he used to send us e-mails. But frankly, I can't fault anyone for that, it's Windows after all, we're talking about here.

I wish every kid in the world could have such a sweet and wonderful grandpa. My guess is that the world would be a whole lot better place if that was the case.

We miss you tons already gramps.

3 comments:

  1. We're really sad to hear about your grandfather Ben. While his time here is gone, your memories will keep him with you always. Our condolences.

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  2. My heart goes out to you and yours

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  3. Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.

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