When I think of Grandpa Dave, I think of frozen custard treats, years spent calling for us (mostly me) to hurry up and get in the car for school or we were going to be late, and decades of birthday cards. He was almost like a third parent for us when we were growing up. With two working parents, he filled in the gaps to cart us to and from school, to and from ballet and karate, and whatever else came up. He moved from Iowa to California to spend more time with his kids and his grandkids, and although he had social events at his apartment complex and responsibilities at church, most of his time was spent doing just that - spending time with his family. He was at our house for every Thanksgiving and Christmas since I can remember. As I got older I enjoyed being able to start to choose small personalized Christmas gifts for him that I thought he'd like, many including pictures of his grandkids. I wasn't always the kindest to Grandpa - I tried my best as an adult to make up for my teenage attitude and angst. We didn't have a lot in common but I listened to his religious stories and he asked about my relationship and jobs and school. He always told me and my husband to talk and be good to each other.
I am so thankful that he got to spend a few years with our family and his great granddaughter Makaia close by when he moved to Arizona. As the dementia took over, he definitely wasn't the same person I remembered from when I was a kid - but he was still there in some ways and our daughter was always excited to go visit Great Grandpa Dave.
I will cherish our relationship and the memories I have of him forever. Small things make me think of him, and I picture him in his straw hat and his white New Balances driving his little silver Echo. Love you Grandpa, we miss you.
