Grandpa

On Tuesday, Grandpa went peacefully to join Grandma in Heaven.  I think it truly has yet to set in for me, because we were unable to join the rest of the family for his funeral due to restricted travel at this late stage in my pregnancy.  His passing was not entirely unexpected due to some ongoing health challenges over the past year or so, but we had the blessing of enjoying a wonderful family gathering for his 90th birthday in the end of June.  Frankly, when he was quite ill back in November and December, I wasn't sure he'd see 2012.  Despite having made it through the peak of his illness back in the winter, I think recently he seemed to be more and more frustrated by the constraints of his ailing physical body, so perhaps it is a relief to him to be free of his Earthly body and watching over us now from above.

Grandpa was a pretty remarkable person.  He was dynamic, intelligent, hard working, devoted, loving, and even a bit mischievous.  He was always involved in the lives of his children and grandchildren, attending graduations, concerts, plays, and impromptu performances in the living room at Brunn Ave.  He loved music and played the Notre Dame Fight Song loud and proud on his organ or piano whenever we visited for game day.  He was an active guy well into his 80s - flying his airplane, golfing, swimming laps in his pool, and chasing around grandbabies and great-grandbabies.  He was well known for his "wuzzer" and would send many a child squealing and giggling from his advancing tickle fingers "wuzzering" toward them.  The gleam in his eye as he enjoyed being surrounded by family is the way I will always remember him.

I remember Grandpa as always smart, savvy, and on to the latest technology.  He had every gadget there was and is the only 90 year old I know that had and used an iPad, iPhone, laptop, etc. routinely.  Even when he was very ill in November/December, at one point he was in the ICU, on a ventilator, but typing messages on his iPad or spelling out questions and requests by tracing letters in the air to communicate.  He would type questions such as, "Are my mental capabilities intact?"  Uhhhh, Grandpa, if you can type that on an iPad while intubated, I think your mental capabilities are just fine!

Grandpa also had a stubborn streak which has made its way through the family to many of us, conferring on us the drive and dedication that has taken us all far in life.  He worked very hard to not only secure his own future and the future of his children, but he secretly put away money for each of his grandchildren's educations.  We did not discover this remarkable gift until we were each adults.  We were told we could attend any college we dreamed of and that cost was not an issue.  What an amazing gift that opens doors to the whole world!  I was able to go to college and even medical school and still come out debt free (granted, I had a scholarship for med school, but was still able to use Grandpa's gifts for living expenses).  I am able to look forward to providing for my children and grandchildren instead of making up for school loans.  I like to hope that Grandpa was able to enjoy seeing us thrive with his gifts.

I feel like Grandpa was one of my biggest fans (and it wasn't just that way for me...I think each of us felt that he was always very proud of us).  He was always interested in what we were learning and doing as kids.  When I advanced through college and on to medical school and residency, he would always brag to people about his granddaughter who was a doctor at Mayo.  He just always seemed bursting with pride about the beautiful family he and Grandma had created.

Grandpa had many adventures in life...college, the Navy, rising to the top of the corporate world, and raising 3 kids with his bride Helen.  They were married 62 years before Grandma passed away and were really quite adorable with each other.  What an example of lasting love for all of us!  How comforting it is to know that he is reunited with Grandma again now.

He will be missed by many in many different ways, but we are happy to celebrate a life well lived.

Grandpa's obituary.