Josh and I were in Atlanta this week. Not as a happy vacation or for someone's birthday, but because his grandfather passed away Monday. We were fortunate enough to have just seen him over Fourth of July for the last time and the visit was bittersweet. He had a stroke in August of last year and his health had been a rollercoaster of ups and downs since then. He was amazingly well enough at our wedding (a month after the stroke) to joke and talk and dance and it was just wonderful. After returning from Texas, he was fine for awhile but when his health took a nosedive Thursday, not much could be done. When we got the call from Josh's dad early Monday morning, we had a good cry but then decided that he wasn't sick and in pain anymore. He wasn't the type to mope over anything so we needed to celebrate his life instead of mourn. There was no funeral because he was a no-fuss kind of guy. People just came over and sent flowers to Grandma (Mimi) and there will be a party on what would have been his 79th birthday next month. He and Mimi were married for a wonderful 56 years and she still called him her soul mate. It made me sob to hear her talk about how much she loved him. They are a wonderful inspiration for any couple.
Pop was the funniest, kindest, most talkative person you could ever hope to meet. He was a veteran, a musician, a firefighter, and a handyman. He held every type of job you can imagine and as a result, had a solution for every problem and a story for everything. He made me feel like part of the family from the first time I met him. Everyone joked that he never met a stranger. The house that we lived in for 3 years in Atlanta was actually next door to him and Mimi. The day the house went up for sale, they were trying to get it so that we could be near them.
We'll miss you, Pop. The parties will never be as fun without you.
No comments:
Post a Comment