G&T
My Grandfather, Ted, was a swedish carpenter with huge hands. He had a kind heart. He was hilarious without really being “a funny guy” and had many friends and family that adored him. He lost his wife, Genevieve, very quickly in the mid-eighties, and although had company of some nice ladies through the years, became a bachelor until he was 86. (and a half)

He was strong.

Less than a month ago what they thought was a belly ache became a freight train of a stomach tumor, and he was given only weeks to live. I’m a nurse, and I’ve seen how these things go. I was terrified that weeks would be months, and it would get ugly.
The family rallied. They did a fine job.

They are strong.

I made as many trips up north to see him as I could with a toddler in tote, and yesterday pawned my tot off on an aunt’s daycare to spend the whole day with my Poppa. For the most part, it was just him and I. Most of it was spent sleeping, but in between his snores and spouts, I got some giggles from him. He promised me the brown couch in the basement (I don’t know what he’s talking about, but we don’t need a couch, thanks) and he told me he wants his legacy to be “The Guy Who Takes Things Apart.” I don’t get it. But ok.

Yesterday morning I think he was having an itchy scalp from the meds, and really wanted to wash his hair. We improvised and I got a hot wet towel, and he combed it all his special way, for what seemed like an hour. He has this 10 inch flap of hair that comes all forward….. then all back….. then there’s this swirl, the same swirl my daughter has, in the exact same place…
I trimmed the egdes a bit with his lousy trimmer, and worked on his scruff and beard for (what again seemed like) an hour. I cleaned and trimmed his nails and he brushed his teeth… he looked great, and said he felt much better.

Doing that has always been my “hot button” at work, it’s just something I do, or insist my staff does. “I like nice-looking men” I’d say.

So we finally got done… lil’ Teddy had stopped by to keep us coming for a bit… and I topped it off with a little lotion on his face. Well, that was enough for Ted…
“You’re getting too fancy…. I’m not going to a dance.”

We all kind of chuckled.

Nope, no dance. In hindsight, I was just getting you snazzy to meet up with Gen again.
I’m so glad he looked nice for her.

We never would have heard the end of it, if she waited all those years, and didn’t get to see herself a nice-looking man.
He died this morning, peacefully in his sleep. Family was at his side, as they were every night, by his request.

He will be missed.