In this thread we share stories about our grandfather's last moments or what you most remember about him.... My grandfather was a WW2 pilot, Arizona resident, college football aficionado, and a great family man.He taught me how to fish, and taught me about NASCAR [lol] .I'll miss the guy. I'm still fearing the next few days when my parents will have to tell [or not] my little brother who is only 9 yrs old.
May the memories held deep within your heart help to soothe your spirit in this difficult time. ---- My maternal grandfather died when I was about 2 or 3 years old. I heard lots of great and not so great stories about him. He was a great doctor. I heard great stories how great doctor he was. Growing up, hearing those wonderful stories made me want to follow his footsteps. He also served in WWII as a doctor. The not so great stories about him- he has a mistress, and he had children with her. I found out about it when I was in my teens already. My poor grandmother BTW, I didn't follow his footsteps becoming a doctor. Hehehe! If we didn't migrate in the US, I may have been one. My paternal grandfather died when I wasn't even born yet. I don't know much about him. All I know is that he was a HARD worker. He had different jobs from boxer, construction worker to a taxi driver.
My maternal grandfather died before I was born. My paternal grandfather was a pretty cool guy. He died when I was 11 or so. I have fond memories of taking road trips to Sheridan, Wyoming where he lived when I was a kid -- we'd load up into the van, leave at an ungodly early hour (something like 2 AM), my brother and I would be sleeping in sleepingbags lying down in the back of the van (no seatbelts or any kind of restraints, which is of course unthinkable today now that I have a kid), we'd wake up and we'd be in Utah already. Once we got to Sheridan, my grandparents had a log cabin (for real) with a little farm / garden in the back, where we could pick strawberries. We'd go fishing and visit Yellowstone and such. I saw a moose or an elk or something, up in the Bighorn Mountains. Later, his health deteriorated, so they came to LA to live in a nursing home near us (my dad was their only son). Those memories are not so great. It's more fun to think about the visits to Wyoming.
My maternal grandfather also died before I was born. On my dad's side, my grandpa lived until I was in junior high. I have a wide range of memories about him. He used to come over for dinner every friday night and when he had his after dinner coffee my brother got to put the milk in it and I got to put the sugar in it. I thought this was the coolest thing in the world when I was like 5 years old. He would also give us $5 each when he left and would sneak it in a handshake to us even though my parents knew he was doing it. He also used to sit in our sunporch before dinner every friday and when I got home from school I'd go and say hi. Our grade school library had this awesome WWII book with cool maps on it and I brought it home one day and showed him. He would tell me stuff about the battles (but none of the ones he fought in) and everything and it really got me interested in history. When he died he wasn't sick or anything. He had a massive heart attack one morning while he was scrapping ice off his car in order to go to church.
I hardly knew my paternal grandfather, he was in GA, I lived mostly in RI. He was in WWI and died when I was about 14. My maternal grandfather AKA Pepe(french canadian), was a absolute nut. We called him pepe coconut. He use to saw 2x4 boards and coconuts almost in half and then tell us he was a Black belt in Karate and smash them over his head. he told us the Army would not take him during WWII because he was to dangerous and it would too cruel to unleash him on the Germans or ********. Come to find out he was too old for WWII and too young for WWI. He also said he was kicked out of major league baseball because he would hit balls so hard that they would stay up in the air and because it was during the depression the could not afford to loose balls. That man could make anything he put his mind to. He use to make us toy guns our of broom sticks and old scrap would, he made his own solid oak bar that was about 10 feet long with cabinets and all the selving. I recently found out that when he and my Memiere were married she had a kid out of marriage. Nowadays that is no big deal but in the 20s a woman with a child out of wedlock as a different matter. he married her and raised my aunt as his own. To me that is a real man. He was a great guy, lived to be 90 and I miss him dearly.
My grandfather died around 10 years ago. My other grandfather died was is 8 i believe and my grandmother died before i was born. My other grandmother is still alive. i remember my grandfather used to love playing Italian card games...and used to go to a little center to play against his friends. Basically a typical Italian Nonno.
My maternal grandfather died when my Mom was just 9 yrs old, so I obviously never met him. But he sounds like quite a character--he owned a box factory and spudnut shop, loved buying every new gadget that came out, and loved having fun. Always the life of the party. Then my grandmother was widowed with a load of young kids and my Mom was raised practically in poverty in a single-family home. Crazy. My paternal grandfather was awesome. He built the home that my dad was raised in in Sacramento. They had a half acre of prime property there, with a huge garden and orchard out back. He had a shop out back where he made pottery. He was always happy and smiling, loved playing games and I miss him a ton.
My maternal grandfather died when I was a baby. I think I got to meet him but I don't recall. With my paternal grandfather, my wife and I went to India the year we got married. We spent several days with him and I videotaped the conversations we had, where he told us about his life. I turned them into DVDs for my family, and I'm glad I did so, as he passed away 6 months later.
My paternal grandfather was a teacher, principal and school superintendent. When he passed away, the whole town came to his funeral and stories of how he helped shape their life. It was a pretty moving experience so much for me that I decided to follow in his footsteps and become a teacher. I hope I can be half the role model that he was in his life. My maternal grandfather was the exact opposite, a paranoid schizophrenic who never held onto a job in his life. Although it sounds like he beat the crap out of my aunts and uncles, I remember him as a warm guy who took us fishing off the pier at St. Simons Island and bought us a pony to ride. He even taught me to play chess. I don't remember too much about his funeral though. He died in the early 1980's.
I remember words from my maternal grandad via mom especially when it came to doing one's best and gaining wisdom. I was young when he passed but his work ethic lives through the Thomas name. As far as the funeral? Well, the church was packed which told me he was a well respected man down at Mobile's shipyards.