A TRIBUTE TO MY GRANDPA BILL. AKA GUIDO!

OVER THE PAST MANY YEARS MY GRANDPA HAS HAD MANY HEALTH ISSUES RANGING FROM KIDNEY DIALYSIS TO DIABETES, YOU NAME IT-HE HAD IT AND DEALT WITH IT. GRANDPA BILL IS MY MOM'S STEP-FATHER BUT HAS BEEN HER STEP DAD SINCE SHE WAS 4 YEARS OLD. SO TO ALL OF US, HE IS OUR GRANDPA AND WE HAVE NEVER VIEWED HIM ANY OTHER WAY! HE WAS A ROCK. HE WAS REAL. HE WAS ONERY. HE WAS A BIG MAN WITH A HEART OF GOLD. HE HAD THE MOUTH OF A SAILOR AND THE ATTITUDE TO MATCH. HE MADE YOU LAUGH AND SOMETIMES CRY WITH THE THINGS HE SAID. HE WAS VERY INTELLIGENT AND WOULD PROVE ANYTHING ANYBODY SAID WRONG, NO MATTER HOW MUCH INFORMATION HE HAD TO FIND TO DO SO. HE WAS GUIDO! HE WAS AMAZING! HE WAS ONE WHO WOULD HOLD IN HIS LAUGH UNTIL HE COULDN'T ANYMORE AND THEN HE WOULD HAVE A FULL-BLOWN BELLY LAUGH. HIS SMILE WAS CONTAGIOUS. HE WAS GRANDPA!

LIKE I SAID, FOR THE LAST MANY YEARS HE HAS HAD ONGOING HEALTH PROBLEMS. HE REALLY HAS TAKEN THEM AND KEPT ON LIVING DESPITE THE FACT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER MOST OF THE TIME ,TO LET THE WILL OF LIVING GET IN THE WAY. ON TUESDAY HE WENT TO THE VA HOSPITAL TO DONATE BLOOD. HE FELL GETTING OUT OF THE CAR AND ONE THING LEAD TO ANOTHER: GETTING A PARTIAL HIP REPLACEMENT, ETC. HE MADE IT THROUGH SURGERY AND THEN HE ASPIRATED AND QUIT BREATHING. LUCKILY, MY MOM AND STEPDAD WERE ABLE TO FLY DOWN FRIDAY, AND MY UNCLE BRAD, HIS SON, DROW FROM CALIFORNIA. THEY WERE ALL ABLE TO SAY THEIR GOOD-BYES. HEWILL BE MISSED GREATLY! DEATH IS ALWAYS HARD FOR THE FACT A LOVED ONE IS GONE, BUT IN HIS CASE I AM SURE HE IS LIVING HAPPILY, AND HAS A WHOLE NEW OUTLOOK ON LIFE NOW.

I WILL NEVER FORGET THE MANY HOURS HE TALKED ABOUT GOLF, EDUCATION, HIS JOB, OUR BOYFRIENDS, OUR GRADES, AND JUST LIFE IN GENERAL WITH US FOR HOURS WHILE SMOKING HIS CIGAR ON THE DECK. HE HAD A LONG LISTENING EAR AND WOULD GIVE YOU HIS OPINION ON ANYTHING YOU SAID. I WON'T FORGET THAT HE CHERISHED THE PEOPLE AND THE FRIENDSHIPS HE MADE IN A WAY THAT I NEVER KNEW POSSIBLE. I WILL NEVER FORGET HIS CHAIR IN THEIR LIVING ROOM HE SAT IN FOR HOURS WHILE HOLDING HIS PILLOW AND WATCHING GOLF WITH THE DOGS. AND I WILL NEVER FORGET THE FAMILY REUNION WHERE ALL OUR FAMILY WAS ABLE TO GO TO OREGON AND ENJOY HIS COMPANY BEFORE HE REALLY GOT TO SICK.

I WILL TRY TO FORGET THE TIMES HE FARTED AND BLAMED IT ON THE DOGS. I WILL TRY TO FORGET HIS DRIVING AND THE SMALL TEMPER HE HAD WITH OREGON DRIVERS-HE WAS AN AWFUL DRIVER! WHEN YOU WENT WITH HIM, YOU JUST CLOSED YOUR EYES AND PRAYED YOU WOULD LIVE TO DESTINATION. I WILL NEVER FORGET THE STORY ABOUT MY MOTHER FLUNKING PE OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I WILL NEVER FORGET HIS GAMBLING AND HOW MUCH HE LOVED IT. NO MATTER HOW BAD HE FELT, HE WAS ABLE TO GET OUT AND PLAY. THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT MADE GRANDPA, GRANDPA!

HE PASSED AWAY ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2008.WE WILL ALL MISS HIM GREATLY. HE WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR ANYONE AND WE ALL KNEW THAT. OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH MY GRANDMA NANNY RIGHT NOW AND TRYING TO GET HER MOVED BACK TO POCATELLO. SHE HASN'T LIVED FOR QUITE A WHILE EITHER, SINCE SHE WAS HIS CARETAKER. GUIDO AND NANNY WERE SO IN LOVE. THEY WOULD YELL AT EACH OTHER, TALK WITH EACH OTHER, AND SMIRK LITTLE GRINS BACK AND FORTH. THAT IS HOW WE KNEW THEY WERE ALWAYS MEANT TO BE TOGETHER. I WILL NEVER FORGET HIS MIDNIGHT TRIPS TO THE FRIDGE WHEN NANNY WAS ASLEEP TO GET CHEESECAKE OR WHATEVER WAS IN THERE, SINCE HE HAD DIABETES AND NANNY WOULDN'T LET HIM HAVE ANY. I WILL NEVER FORGET HIS FIRST WORDS TO US WHEN WE WALKED IN HIS HOME,"DON'T FEED THE DOGS CHOCOLATE." THOSE WERE HIS FIRST WORDS TO US SINCE CHILDHOOD AND HE STILL SAID THEM THE LAST TIME WE WENT AND SAW HIM. JARED WAS ONLY ABLE TO MEET HIM ONCE, AND HE IS A MAN THAT JARED TALKED ABOUT OVER AND OVER. HE REALLY TOUCHED HIS HEART IN THE ONE VISIT. THAT GOES TO SHOW HOW MUCH HE LOVED AND TOUCHED OTHERS. AND I WILL NEVER, NEVER, FORGET HOW MUCH I LOVED HIM. HE WAS AND STILL IS A GREAT MAN. HE WILL LIVE ON WITH US FOREVER.

WE KNOW HE IS IN A BETTER PLACE, ENJOYING THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED ON BEFORE, ENJOYING HIS HEALTH, AND ENJOYING TRULY LIVING AGAIN.

MUCH LOVE, GRANDPA! WE WILL MISS YOU! NOW, GO GOLF!