We had the privilege of being with Grandpa during his final days on earth. We narrowly made it to the scheduled family meeting in Idaho after our 2 day drive. After the family meeting, it was decided to take him off the ventilator and let him do as well as he could. We were able to assist the intensivist in explaining the details to the family. This had started with a fall into an irrigation ditch while he was out tending the farm, during which he suffered a hand laceration, an aspiration pneumonia, and a retroperitoneal hematoma, from which he collectively never recovered. We were blessed to have time to talk to him and share stories and memories. He had difficulty talking back, but we were able to make out some very clear words, such as "I want a Dr.Pepper" and got better at lip reading. The boys played many board games in the waiting room in between their visits into the ICU room. We enjoyed the company of Alecia, Joy's sister who had flown in from Pennsylvania, and her daughter Sofia whom we got to meet for the first time. What a blessing to be with family. Joy stayed the final night at bedside with family, helping to keep Grandpa comfortable. After our time in the hospital, it was on to the next phase which was making preparations for the funeral. Joy helped put the program together and also worked on the video with dial-up-internet with her brother Aaron, who arrived from Sri Lanka. Funny story about the last minute stop at Starbucks to be sure the video downloaded properly with decent internet...they then proceeded to the Nazarene church, but they went to the wrong one and spoke with the pastor and IT guy at the wrong church before realizing they had the wrong one. FYI: the longer version of that story is much funnier told by Aaron and Joy. It was a beautiful ceremony reflecting Grandpa's life as a farmer of God's Creation with some beans from this years crop (packed by the boys) attached to the program. Then the pastor talked more importantly about the seeds that Grandpa sowed into the lives of so many people, for the Lord to grow in others. Grandpa loved God and loved others well. We will miss him but we are excited that he is with Grandma again in heaven.
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| What a great picture of Grandpa in the wheat field, loving God's green earth. |
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| Family assembled at the open casket viewing. He had some wheat tucked under his arm. |
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| Because he was a veteran of the Navy, he was given an official Naval presence at the gravesite. |
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| Garrett and Brett served as pallbearers. |
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| Grandpa when he was younger. |
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| Grandma and Grandpa's wedding pictures. |
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| Navy days. |
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| 2010 picture of Grandma and Grandpa...3 years before Grandma passed away. |
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| Grandpa and Great Grandpa to our boys--what a legacy he leaves. |
