Grandpa Bill, 1915-2007

My mom called early on the 27th to let me know that my Grandpa Bill had passed away. His health had been slowly deteriorating, but for a 92-year-old he wasn't doing too bad. Then over the Thanksgiving weekend he fell and it went fairly quickly downhill after that. I got to visit with him the week after Thanksgiving and he was still sitting up and communicating. He watched my little Dallin playing on the floor and said more than once what good-looking grandkids he had. He joked about how Grandma was taking her time about coming to get him. (She passed away in 1993, so he'd been alone for 14 years.) Just two weeks later when I visited him again he was bedridden and speaking was an effort. But his eyes lit up when I talked about Christmas music and the snow that he could see on the rooftops out his window. He looked so small and frail lying in that bed, and I hoped he wouldn't have to lie there too much longer. He lived a good life, he was a good man, he set a great example of service. I will miss him, but I am not sad. His funeral last week was a wonderful tribute to his life, with memories and stories and testimonies of the resurrection and eternal families. I am so grateful for my heritage, especially the spiritual heritage that has been passed down to me. Because Jesus Christ lived and died for each of us, my grandfather's funeral was not a sad event, but a happy family reunion and a wonderful celebration of his life. If I've got the count right, his six children, 31 of his 36 grandchildren, and several of his 54 (going on 60) great-grandchildren were there. We are all beneficiaries of who and what he was. Love you Grandpa!

My sister, Joy, took the photo of Grandpa's house that he built 67 years ago and lived in until October, and the photo of the swing that has hung in the chestnut tree in the backyard for as long as any of the grandchildren can remember.