Goodbye Grandpa

This morning, my mom called me with the news that my grandfather had died. Over the last few years, I have expected to hear this news, or at least tried to prepare myself for when it happened. Even though it was hard for him to get around, and his mind wasn't always clear, he still seemed very healthy, so it was still a shock to me when I found out that he was gone, even with him being 94 years old.

Pictures from my wedding.

My grandpa was such a sweet man. He always called me "Elizabeth" (with the emphasis on "beth"), thinking that it made me happy to hear it pronounced that way. Apparently when I was a little girl I used to laugh when he said it this way.

He loved nature. He loved to look at trees and the different bark and leaves on all of them. He also loved birds. He had many bird feeders around his home in Castro Valley (before moving in with my parents). He had bird books and loved listening to the different songs they sang.

He did oil paintings, probably believing quantity (he painted many of them) was better than quality (although many of them were quite good).

Whenever he shuffled down the hallway on his walker, he would always glance in the family room, and if anyone was in there, he would stop for a while with a slightly goofy and loving grin on his face.

He loved children. Even though he never had children of his own, he still treated Grandma's five children like his own, as well as all of their children and grandchildren. As I've mentioned before, he loved children so much, that many times recently, he still asked grandma if they could have a baby.

Even though I will miss my grandfather very much, I know he is so happy to be with his first love, Margarite. He now has a clear mind and can walk freely again. I love you grandpa, and thank you for loving me.