"Put your money in the bank"

We're still on vacation for the holidays, and were prepared to leave for home tomorrow (Sunday, the 31st). This afternoon we got a call from my uncle that my dad's dad had passed away. This is not even a month after my mom's dad passed away.

We had the opportunity to visit "Pop" over the holidays - he has been in an Alzheimer's care facility for at least a few years now, and we had Christmas lunch with him by the fireplace. He was not very responsive during our visit, and it was pretty evident that he might not have much longer.

We remember Pop for a lot of things:

√ His service in the war flying glider planes. The purpose of a glider pilot was to fly behind enemy lines and become an infantryman. Thankfully, Patton overran his goal in France and Pop's mission was aborted (and led to a leisure trip to Paris, if I recall correctly).

√ His dedication to his family. Pop and Mimi were married for 61 years as of December 26th. I went with Mimi to visit Pop on their anniversary, and it was enjoyable to watch her love on him, though he didn't know her or understand the significance of the day. He cared deeply for his children and grandchildren, and I know he would have adored his three great-granddaughters, if he had been able to know them.

√ His sentimentality (if that's a word). Pop would never let an opportunity pass for a story about the past, a remembrance of an old friend, or a simple hug. He loved to hold us in his lap when we were children, and I always cherished those moments.

√ His slow pace. One time, Chris and I ventured to Wendy's for a dinner. Pop ordered his chili, we got our meals, and we sat down. He said, "Boys, just because it's fast food doesn't mean you have to eat it fast." And there we sat in Wendy's for no less than an hour. That's hard for two boys probably 13 and 10, or somewhere around those ages.

√ His financial prowess. "Put your money in the bank" was a favorite saying of his. Pop grew up one of 9 children, had begun working in a mill as a young boy, went off to war, came back with barely anything, got his degree and master's, taught accounting, began a small accounting firm, lived modestly, and invested wisely. Mimi still lives in the house they built in 1951.

√ His love for the Scriptures and hymns. Pop always enjoyed Psalm 23 as his favorite passage, and you couldn't get away without him humming "In the Garden" or "Amazing Grace." On numerous trips to visit him after his mind had all but faded away, even when he couldn't complete a full sentence, once we'd start singing hymns, he'd hum, sing, and often cry along with us. We knew how much they meant to him, and they touched his heart till the very end.

One last story - Angela, Abby, my dad, and I went to visit Pop while we were in Savannah for my mom's dad's funeral. While there, we sang some Christmas hymns and then I prayed. After the prayer, we all said we loved him, and each gave him a kiss. When I got to him, I could tell he was trying to say something, so I paused and waited. He said, "That was a good one" and that was all. It was the only thing he had said the entire time we were visiting, and I knew it was the singing that gave him joy.

We loved Pop dearly, and his mind has been gone from us for many years. Now his body, too, has faded away, and we will recall with great love and joy the man he was and the legacy he has left with each one of us.