Saturday, December 24, 2016
Grandpa Frank was not my grandpa by blood, but grandpa by love. Both of my biological grandfathers were deceased before I ever entered the world. Frank filled that role better than anyone else ever could have. Some of my youngest memories of Frank consist of him joking around and being silly.. just the little things like when he shoved some noodles into his mouth and said "Mmm these worms or delicious", and ofcourse the vegetables were bugs. There was always many laughs to be had as a young boy growing up around Frank. He was fun to talk to, and a very smart man with a wide assortment of gadgets and fascinating hobbies. I have some great fishing memories with that man, and he taught me some great techniques. He gave me my first collectible coin which I still hold onto to this day. He was forever sharing his passion for airplanes with me and I got some sort of flying gadget just about every year at Christmas. One thing about Frank is that he was never afraid to tell you straight how he feels without any sugarcoating, and this just added to the raw humor and joy that I experienced when in his presence. Boy was that man funny, and boy did I love him. It was hard watching him get older and older. Towards the end his stutter got worse and he started to have trouble finding his words. It got really hard for him to communicate what he was thinking. I always took time to talk with him though and be understanding. I could still detect that Frank's wonderful personality and mind was still in tact. If you were patient you could realize he knew exactly what he was trying to say but he just couldn't find the words. I love that man and will never forget him... The last time I went to see him I brought my oldest son to meet him who was just a baby at the time. Boy did his face light up. He was so happy, and when I left that day his words were "Thank you". No, Frank, Thank YOU.
