Grampa

The following is my greatest attempt to recreate the words of my talk from my Grandpa's funeral.

I have to start by being perfectly honest. When I was asked to give this talk about what my relationship with my grandpa means to me and what he taught me, the first thing that came to mind was that the trash needs to be taken out when it's half full and to never put the lawn mower away until every blade of grass has been cleaned off of it. But, in all seriousness, it wasn't long after those thoughts went through my mind that my more serious answers came forth. More than anything else, what my Grandpa was to me was a disciple of Jesus Christ. He is one of the finest examples that I have ever known of a man who dedicated his life to following the example of Christ. That is what stands out in my mind when I reflect on the impact my relationship with Grandpa had on my life; his devotion to Christlike living.
There are three specific Christlike attributes which Grandpa exemplified in his own life which I want to focus on today. The first of which is his diligence and especially his desire to work hard and serve others. There was always work to be done. There was never a project too big and never a bit of help he wasn't willing to render. In fact, I think most of us can agree that he maybe didn't know how to not help anyone he could. Just the other day my dad was telling me about how a few weeks ago he was talking with my grandpa about the upcoming wood floor installation he was planning, Grandpa wanted so badly too help despite his condition at the time.
The next Christlike quality I want to discuss is his faith. From my perspective as a grandson, and I'm sure from any other, there is no doubt that he had a love for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are a couple memories that stand out in my mind that demonstrate his amazing faith. One of which comes from when I was serving as a missionary. Every letter I received from him left me more certain than ever before that he was certain that serving the Lord was the best thing I could be doing with my life at that time. He and his faith are always a source of strength, hope and joy in pushing me forward to be a better disciple of Christ. The other experience relative to my grandpa that taught me about faith came only a couple weeks ago. In fact, it came on the night of his fall. That night, my dad, Kory and I went to the hospital and laid our hands on his head to give him a Priesthood blessing. As we did the thought came to my mind that his faith was more than sufficient to be healed if it were the will of God. Then I thought about how my dad's faith is undoubtedly strong enough to heal my grandpa. I knew these things that night. There was no doubt. That experience speaks volumes about the faith of my grandfather. His faith is what allowed him to be the man he needed to be to raise my father to be the man that he is; the man that I can only hope to emulate. His faith allowed him to begin a legacy that I am now privileged enough to spend the rest of my life striving to fulfill and build upon.
The final attribute that Grandpa exemplified that I want to point out is his charity and love. There's not a lot to be said there because his love was just all-encompassing. It was unending. This was plainly visible at all times in his love for Grammy. There was never any doubt. It was always clear. But really, that was the way he was in all his relationships. His love was always to complete and so easily seen and felt. I think many of you here could echo my worlds when I say that when I spoke with him there was no way to doubt his love for me. My joys were his joys. My wants were his wants. His tenderness and compassion were so real.
If I were to sum up the effect he had on me, what comes to my mind when I think back on my relationship with him is his sterling example of being a disciple of Christ. That is what he taught me. That is the mark he left on this world. He has always, will always, and still does love, follow, and serve his beloved Savior Jesus Christ. I love him, and I can only hope to follow the beautiful path he laid in his life of service, faith, and love. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.