Grampy passed away yesterday at 99 years old.
A World War 2 veteran, loved my grandmother deeply, and became my mom's stepdad when she was 8 years old resulting in a good life for her.
When I think of Grampy, I think of his house that never changed. His perfect yard and grass he was so known for and entering through those sliding glass doors into the kitchen my whole life, time stops because nothing has ever moved or changed.
Grampy used to own a dry cleaners when I was teenager. I laugh when I think how all my clothes were dry clean only and how I would drop my laundry off on a regular basis and come back to have it magically dry cleaned on hangers and wrapped in a bag at no cost. I am laughing, God love him, he never acted like he minded. When he sold the dry cleaners, I couldn't afford the bill, so I had to buy all new clothing that wasn't dry clean only.
I think of his cherry tree and pear tree. As a child we would climb up into that cherry tree and eat probably the entire visit. Getting sick so many times from those cherries, I cannot eat or smell a cherry flavored anything today.
When my brother and I visited Grampy a couple weeks ago, we shared our memories with him and he just laughed.
He loved my grandmother deeply and I remember vividly when she passed at her funeral, he laid over her casket and sobbed and said, "I miss you already."
Grampy always dressed in suits. Grampy's perfectly manicured yard. His house on his street that never changed.
He passed the day after my mom's birthday and I'm grateful it was the next day. It's also fitting my mom is traveling Florida with my Aunt Carol and they were together when they got the news.
Rest in peace, Grampy, we all love you.
