A grandfather is someone who stands as the pillar of wisdom and strength in any family. This is who my grandfather was. He loved everybody and was loved by everybody he met. My grandpa was kind hearted, strong, and determined, a quality that I envied in him. He was the kind of person who was always there for his family no matter what the circumstance. The love he has for my grandmother showed me that this is what I deserve in life. His love for his family is strong as shown by allowing my mom and brother Christopher to live with them and take care of them in their time of need. My mom will always cherish the time that she got to spend with my grandpa and how much closer they got.

 Grandpa, in my life you gave me lots of things, but the best gift that I could give to you as your only granddaughter was Hailey, your only great granddaughter. From her birth, you were there for her when I needed you the most. Even though you were not accepting of my pregnancy at first, when Hailey was born you accepted her in a way that no child can ever forget and for that I am eternally grateful. My favorite memory of my grandfather was when I would sleep over their house and sneak chocolates to each other and watch wheel of fortune together.

 I will miss our family’s deep dinner conversations, sitting at the dinner table on Christmas Eve, and seeing you sit at the head of the table. I will miss the smell of your cologne, Brut. I will never forget that smell. What I will miss the most is your hugs. You gave the best hugs that made me feel that no matter what was going on in my life, I felt safe.

I am not going to stand here and say that you are in a better place, because the best place for you is to be with us. But since you were taken from our family too soon, you will always live on in our hearts. I love you grandpa.