It was 10 pm on a Monday night and I was getting my running shoes on. As I ran down the stairs I heard my sister calling for me. Something was not right. Before I could even see her face I knew. "Grandpa is dead isn't he." I asked. I then saw my sister with tears in her eyes and she told me that he had a heart attack and was on his way to the hospital.
At 10:50 pm my mom called us (she was at work) to let us know that our grandfather had passed away. As my sister sat in my bed crying, I felt paralyzed. I knew that my grandfather was dead... but I did not truly believe it.
Wednesday was extremely tough for my family. We had to pick out a casket, schedule the wake, pick out a tomb stone, pick a plot for him to be buried, and order flowers and other things. It was depressing just being in the funeral home!The worst part was picking out the casket.
Thursday was my first day of school. I was upset that I had to start my senior year this way, but school still went pretty well. I only stayed half the day in order to attend my grandpa's wake. It was difficult seeing my grandpa in a coffin. While I was crying I looked over to my baby cousin (she is 2) and I saw how much life and energy she still had in her. After sitting with her for a few minutes I instantly started to feel better. Her jokes and silliness helped me to smile and to feel happier again. It is amazing what little kids can do!
After the immediate family time ended, people seemed to pour in. There were people everywhere! The room was packed! I knew that there would be many people there (my grandpa has 8 siblings and my grandma has 6), but I had no idea that there would be as many people as there was! The wake was from 3-9 and it was always full of people! Everyone there spoke of how funny he was and how he could make anyone smile. I heard so many stories and memories that people had of him. It also meant a lot to me when my friends made it out to say goodbye. I just could not believe how amazing his wake turned out to be!
This morning (Friday) my family and I headed back to the funeral home to say our last goodbyes. I was still in denial, but it was nice to be able to say goodbye. To be honest, I was not expecting a ton of people to show up for his funeral. I was wrong. So many people came! It just showed how loved my grandpa was! There were at least 30 cars in the funeral procession!
I know that you all (most likely) did not know my grandpa, but he was truly a special man. I am so proud to be his granddaughter. My mom was also extremely proud of him. And so was my grandma and siblings!
Thank you all for spending (so much) time reading this. I know that this was very time consuming for you to read and I appreciate your time! Try to spend quality time with your family this weekend! You never know how long you have left with anyone!
~Britt
(his last picture taken)
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