Lucky Few

I'm one of the lucky few that have gotten to know some of my great-grandparents.  There is a long history of longevity on my father's side of the family, and my paternal grandfather's parents (Clarence, or Curly for short, and Florence) lived to their late nineties.  I loved going to visit them as a kid and run around their orchard with my brothers or look at all of my great-grandmother's treasures.  My great-grandfather passed away when I was eight years old and my great-grandmother passed away when I was around the age of thirteen.  On my mother's side, my maternal grandmother's father died young, but I got to know my great-grandmother Zelda until she passed away when I was eight.  I remember her and my grandma would come visit us in Iowa when my family lived there.  

I was even lucky enough to have a relationship with one of my great-grandparents into my adulthood, and I know not many get that chance.  My father's other grandfather passed away last week at the age of 96, but I got to know him for 26 years of my life, and he was a great man.  The love that he had for others and that others had for him was echoed over and over again at his funeral service last week.  On Christmas, my husband and I went with my parents to have lunch with my aunt, uncle, cousin, and grandfather on my mom's side and then we went to spend the evening with my great-grandpa Richard (or he was known as Dick).  He was in good spirits and we got to sit with him as he had his evening meal and talk.

Justin and I came back to Ohio the day after Christmas and we got a call the following day that my great-grandpa had passed away.  It all happened so quickly, but all I could think was that I was so happy we got to spend Christmas with him and talk and laugh and share stories one last time.  My father was very close to him, so I was glad we all got to be together and make memories before he passed.  Justin and I turned around the next day and went back to Indiana for the funeral arrangements.  The service was a beautiful celebration of my grandfather's life and the kind of man he was.  Many relatives and friends stood up and shared wonderful memories of him where he gave selflessly and loved unconditionally.  We all rejoiced knowing that he was finally reunited with his wife, my great-grandmother, who passed away in 2007.  We all thanked God for the 96 years he had on Earth and for the impact he made on each one of us.

One of my most favorite memories of my grandfather is when my dad and I went to visit him early in 2015.  It was January, and Justin and I had just moved to Ohio a couple months before.  Justin had a graduate school class back in Indiana, so I went with him and had him drop me off at my parents' house on his way through to go to Bethel College for the week.  My best friend was turning 26, so I wanted to celebrate with her, and I knew my dad would be going to visit my great-grandpa, so I wanted to go with him.  We left early in the morning on a cold, icy day and drove the 45 minutes to my great-grandpa's house.  We sat at his kitchen table and had lunch together and he told me stories about his church and about my great-grandmother and about his travels and about all the beautiful knick-knacks he had around his house.

My dad mentioned I like antiques, so my great-grandpa started telling me about all the treasures he had throughout his house and we began looking through them together.  He sent me to the attic to look around, and there was so much to look at.  He had a story for every item I asked him about, and it was so fun to hear him share stories about his younger years on the farm with my great-grandma.  He even told me about a 28-day trip he took around the world with my great-grandma.  They made a stop in Israel, and he showed me this beautifully carved wooden camel that they got when they were there.  He had boxes of cameras he showed me, and he even gave me his old 1940s Philco radio phonograph as a gift.  It was in rough shape since it had been in the attic for about 50 years, but my dad and I worked on getting it fixed up and it looks amazing now.  He even gave me a stack of old records to play on it.  The radio turns on and the turntable turns, but my husband and I are working on replacing the tubes so the speakers work.

I love that old radio and what it represents.  It shows where my grandfather came from, and reminds me that he once lovingly picked that radio out with his wife.  They probably listened to music together and danced.  It reminds me daily of the great man he was and how lucky I was to have him as my grandfather.  It reminds me how special my great-grandpa was to my dad and how they were always there for each other.  It reminds me that family comes first, always, and that you should always make time for loved ones because we never know when our last day will be.

In memory of Richard Holderread

March 4, 1919 - December 27, 2015