Grandpa.

Much of my family is gathering today to remember and celebrate the life of my grandpa. We cry because we miss him. But we rejoice so deeply because we know that he knew Jesus, and we hold firm to the promise that he is with his Savior today. I was unable to make it out to Phoenix for the service, so I will remember him here. Sorry if memories are fuzzy. Most stem from Christmases at their house where all of us grandkids ran around for days and didn't pay attention much to what was going on around us.

1) He loved to fish. When we were little he had a fishing boat out back with the truck. One time when they came to visit us he went charter fishing, and caught more than the others combined.
2) He owned a lot of hats. My brothers must have inherited this from him.
3) He had a shed filled with treasures. And junk. But as a kid it all looked like treasures.
4) Somehow he was always able to find, in that shed filled with treasures and junk, the pin for the air pump so we could take the tandem out and attempt to pump up soccer balls.
5) When we were little, he'd go through his shed and find treasures to do a Yankee Swap/White Elephant thing for the grandkids on Christmas Eve. Once I started out with a shelf he'd made, and ended up with a YoYo. Never knew what he'd find out there for us.
6) He loved sports of all kinds. That's all we ever watched at their house it seems.
7) He would, however, relinquish the remote to watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune each night for Grandma's sake.
8) I'm told he was an extraordinary coach, and I always pointed out his plaque at Greenville in the hall of fame to my friends.
9) He created a state championship football team out of virtually nothing, and after borrowing jerseys from a much larger, rival school proceeded to lead his team to a huge win over the same school. He was coach and bus driver and mentor to many, many students.
10) He loved being a pilot.
11) I'm told he once buzzed Scott Field in his plane, just as chapel was letting out.
12) He once owned a Dairy Queen.
13) He would always greet us with a big hug and a loud "hi there!"
14) He was in North Africa, Italy and Cuba during his navy years. He had fantastic stories from all of those places, which he always told us after meals.
15) His hearing aids squealed often, causing us to giggle because he never seemed to notice or mind. Or maybe he just ignored them...
16) He loved good Mexican food. And biscuits and gravy.
17) He drank barley greens in his apple juice every morning.
18) He loved singing hymns.
19) He had a giant magnifying glass attached to the table next to his chair for reading the newspaper and his Bible.
20) He was recognized in the navy for his laundry talents, learned from his family's business during the Depression years.
21) He was a thrift store hunter extraordinaire.
22) He was not afraid of sharing his testimony of God's hand and guidance in his life. He loved his Savior and he shared openly on how God saved him time and time again. As he would tell us his stories he would always say something like "God had something better for me." or "God wasn't through with me yet." We've heard from countless former students, players, and friends how Grandpa would speak this same love and truth into their lives, and how they were changed by the godly life he modeled daily.

Grandpa will be missed, yes. But we rest in the promise of heaven. We rest in knowing that he knew and loved the Savior. We praise the Savior for dying to make eternity possible. We pray we can live out the same godly life he modeled to each one of us. I'm proud to have known this incredible man.