Collier Party of 5: Grandpa Bob

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Grandpa Bob

Last Sunday (May 24) very early in the morning, my Grandpa passed away in Arkansas. He was diagnosed with cancer at the beginning of May and we lost him less than a month later. I'm so thankful that he didn't have to go through a lot of pain, but saying goodbye was/is hard!

Here he is in Panama...not sure the year.

He was always such a strong, active man. He loved to travel and I was lucky enough to join him on countless trips- always in the camper. I remember picking blueberries in Michigan, watching the wildlife from the camper window in the smokey mountains, and about jumping out of my skin when he banged on that window and growled like a bear. Grandpa also took me in the first wave pool I'd ever been in. He was the best! Not only did we travel with our grandparents, we spent weeks of our childhood just being with them at their home in North Little Rock. He would pay us 1 penny per pinecone we picked up, and we thought that was awesome!

I'm thankful my kids got to know him and that he was a part of their lives, even for a short time. They called him Grandpa Bob :).

Ethan and Grandpa Bob

Nora and Grandpa Bob

There are so many things I will miss about him. I will miss his witty humor- One of the last things I said to him, "I'll be back in the morning." His response from his hospital bed: "I'm not going anywhere!" With a big smile. I will miss his hugs. I will miss listening to him tell stories of his travels. I will miss seeing him keep up with technology- he was taking pictures on his iPhone last time I was with him! I will miss seeing him sleeping in the chair and him denying it by saying "I was just resting my eyes!" I will miss playing dominos with and getting beat by him. I will miss walking into his house and seeing cat related decor everywhere.

(I asked my mom to look for pics of me and Grandpa...this is what she found!)