He was an incredible person. No matter how hard things were or what he was going through, he was always trying to be closer to Jesus. When I was talking with him a few weeks ago, he told me he didn't know how Jesus suffered everything that he did, but he was trying to unite his sufferings with those of Christ. We prayed a decade of the rosary with him and since it was a Friday, we did the Agony in the Garden. How appropriate.
I have so many memories of my grandpa, and I would like to use this space to share some of them with you.
My grandpa laughed a lot. He would laugh so hard he cried and had trouble breathing. I like to think I got that trait from him. He would carry these livesaver mints around in his pockets and all the grandkids would beg him for a "secret" because that's what someone started calling them and it stuck.
Starting in 1998, my mom and her siblings tried to have family reunions every 2 years, where we would rent a big house and spend time together. And every year for Thanksgiving my grandpa would host the big meal at his house. My aunts and uncles and cousins would come in town (whoever could make it that year) and we would set up extra tables and chairs and eat SO much good food. I will always think of him at Thanksgiving. When we were younger, all of us little kids would crawl around pretending to be puppies, barking and being loud. And then when the adults and older cousins needed a break we would go downstairs and watch movies in his basement.
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| Many of my cousins and aunts and uncles at our first family reunion |
He had a pool table in the basement also and we would bug the older cousins when they were using it. I remember him starting fires in his wood stove. He had this great (electric?) train set up on a big table downstairs. He would decorate all the little houses and around the tracks with pretend snow and it looked magical.
For a long time my grandpa held season tickets to the Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Team. He would take one or two of us with him to the games and we would eat hot dogs and huge ice cream cones. He taught me everything I know about baseball - and I'm not much of a sports person, but I know SO much about baseball. We would buy score cards and he would help me fill them out. I think they'll always be my favorite team because of that. If I'm being honest, I really just went for the food, but it was always a great time.
For Christmas, every year, my grandpa would come over for dinner or whatever meal we were doing as a family, but then on a different day that week, we would bring Christmas cookies and go over to his house to open the gifts he had bought for us. He had lots of grandchildren and I don't know how he kept track of it all, but somehow he never repeated a gift (at least that I know of)! He had these religious catalogs and he would order gifts for all of his grandkids and children. When I was little, getting a religious gift was not as exciting as the toys my parents got us, but the older I got the more I appreciated the spiritual books and Christian CD's.
My grandpa was a deacon and I remember seeing him serving at Sunday masses or masses with the Bishop many times over the years. He also used to do prison ministry and visit the prisoners every Tuesday night for many years. He was amazing.
My grandma died of cancer when I was little, I think I was only one at the time. I'm 25 now and he has lived all these years without her, missing her, but he didn't let depression and sadness get him down; he still lived the best life he could. I am so happy that he gets to be with her now. My middle name is Marie, which was her name, and I know she was just as amazing as my grandpa.
I am so grateful for all the time I was able to have with my grandpa. I'm grateful he was able to be at our wedding, at Monica's baptism, and living with my parents when he met Damien. I am so glad that he will be up in heaven with my grandma, praying for all of us, loving Jesus, and not suffering anymore. Grandpa, you will be missed, but your legacy and your Irish heritage lives on with all of us! Thank you for your life and your example. We love you!
