Grandpa Bob

Life Lessons From Granddaddy Bob:

- Belch loudly and often 

- Keep busy until 5:00, then you can clock out

- Put trash cans in peoples beds if they won't do right

- The Pig Face is always appropriate

- Ice Cream is crucial 

- Pinch children you don't like and lie when they accuse you for it

I came to appreciate Bob early on when I watched him struggle not to laugh at his own inappropriate comments. In those times, they would be sassy remarks about his mom that he'd mutter under his breath as we all ate lunch after church at the Holiday Inn. I wasn't old enough to know you could make fun of your parents so he was a real fearless maverick. I have a very distinct little girl memory of Grandaddy Bob teaching me how to rake leaves and he did the work so deliberately I thought that this must be no joking matter. Grandaddy Bob isn't laughing. This must be important. I think of him every time I rake leaves and I still regard that particular yard task in it's own category, much more serious than mowing or edging. 

Grandpa Bob was a hard worker and an incessant worker but you could interrupt him and he'd have something funny to say. As I got older I realized that his witty comments were as much for his own amusement as any lucky by-standers and I aspired to be so confidently indulgent. Watching his entire face curl towards his nose when he laughed was the greatest. I've not seen anyone else so easily reduced to giggle tears. 

Grandpa Bob kept himself together until Grandma died. She was his purpose and he came unglued without her. I've also never seen another pair of people so obsessed with each other. They set the bar high for suitors.

Without Grandma, G-Bob had less to be happy about and looked to the past for his good memories. I heard lots of stories and then lots of stories over again and he'd slap his knee laughing about something Ruth said when they were newlyweds. 

Even in all of his confusion toward the end he was grateful for his three daughters bringing him "a hot meal every night" and the time Mom spent just sitting with him. He also couldn't resist the urge to make me laugh. It didn't matter where we were, a doctors office or the lobby of his hospice home, he'd lock eyes with me and make the Pig Face or let out a burp followed by firing his finger guns and then his face would curl up and and he cry laughing at himself.

We'll miss him and his subtle (and not so subtle) traits but I've never been more happy for a pair of people to reunite.

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While I've got you here, I'll disclose our strange funeral tradition. When Nana (Bob's Mama) passed away, Uncle Dave took this photo of the family's sassy teenagers completely disregarding proper funeral decorum.

When Grandma followed suit in November, we did our best to recreate the photo. 

... and another with the family's newer additions (Margie and Brett).

It dawned on us last week at Bob's funeral that the family has grown. 

Keeping a straight face gets more difficult each time. I hate that these photos are coming in blurry. It's a new problem I'm having with this blog space and I don't know how to fix it. If you click on them they'll load clearly.

Anyways, enough of this irreverence.