grandpa

june 7, 1924 - september 29, 2008

my dear, sweet grandpa thomas passed away unexpectedly yesterday. one can never be prepared to lose someone and it is even harder to lose someone like my grandpa. he was the most hard-working, honest, caring man and i love him dearly. i will miss his laugh, the way he used to comb his hair to the side with one hand when it had gotten out of place, the way he loved his children and grandchildren no matter what. my grandpa supported us through every decision we made and even though he never joined the church, he came to every temple wedding, every baptism, every baby blessing, and more because he knew that that was what we believed and he was proud that we stayed true to the things that we were taught growing up.

he had a very subtle and quiet way of letting you know how things should be when he was around. i remember the first christmas that brent and i had together, we had gone to grandpa's for the traditional christmas morning breakfast and brent had worn a hat and as grandpa walked behind brent he gently removed the hat and put it on top of the frigde and when the party was over brent got his hat back. brent never wore a hat to breakfast again.

grandpa could be the most patient man on the planet and he was one of the most caring. he nursed and cared for my grandma with so much love until the very end. i used to sit in awe as he took his rough farm hands and gently helped grandma with combing her hair and helping her walk and tending to her every need.

i have so many memories of my grandpa when he would come camping with us each summer, going to his house every sunday and watch 60 minutes and then murder she wrote as mom and dad visited with grandma and grandpa, drinking the water from the well in the backyard, and i especially will miss his kipper snacks and the bologna with all the pimentos in it.

i miss him so much already.

i love you.