God Speed Grandpa O

I just put Mr. Man on a jet plane to go to his Grandfather's Funeral. I have fond memories of his grandfather. He is the man who knew that Mr. Man and I would marry before ANY one else did.

When Mr. Man & I were first dating, a long long time ago, I told him all about my love of Harley Davidson Motorcycles. He mentioned that his grandpa shared the same passion. A few days later while Mr. Man and I were "deep in conversation" there was a knock at the door. It was his grandparents! In walks his Grandpa wearing a Harley Davidson tie. Mr. Man was anxious to introduce me and I adored the relationship Mr. Man had with them. They weren't just his grandparents, they were his friends.

A few weeks later Mr. Man invited me to join him for a weekend at his grandparents house in rural Utah. I was hesitant as we had just begun dating, and I thought it would be awkward staying with his grandparents. Staying at his Grandparents house was anything but awkward, they were gracious and welcomed me eagerly into their home. Grandpa especially wanted to show me around the sites. He learned that I had never seen a deer in person and we spent hours driving around chasing deer in his Ford Taurus. He was always convinced that there would be one "just over that hill" or "just around the bend". I don't actually think we saw deer that day... however the thrill of the "hunt" was just as exciting.

On the morning we left their house that weekend, Grandpa offered a prayer over breakfast. I specifically remember him asking the Lord to "Bless this couple as they begin their new lives together" and I was stunned. We had been dating for only a few weeks!

Mr. Man and I married later that year, and his Grandfather told me stories of all the Harley's he had over the course of his lifetime. He had a quirky sense of humor and would often mention that talking about Harley's would get his heart pounding with excitement.

He was a gracious host and was eager to show you the sites. We visited at Christmastime one year with Ross's sister. Grandpa insisted on taking us out to look at the lights, he would disobey all traffic laws to get you closer to the action, including driving on the wrong side of the road.

Later Alzheimers took away his memory, but he still was still a great host. He was anxious to show us around his nursing facility and gave us the grand tour, even though it wasn't apparent that he remembered who we were.

God Speed Grandpa O, I'm sure they have Harley's in Heaven....