Our family lost a great man today. Jed's grandpa Darrell, or Gramp as we all call him passed away. We will miss him dearly. He was such a wonderful father, grandfather and great grandfather. Not many kids get to have a close relationship with their great grandparents, but Addison has spent a lot of time with Gram and Gramp since she was a baby and Gramp loved her and each of his great grandbabies to pieces. He was always so excited with the arrival of a new baby and was usually one of their first visitors :)
I was welcomed into Jed's family not only with welcome arms, but arms that felt like I was already a part of. Gramp isn't just a grandpa to Jed, I feel like he's always been mine too. 9 years of adulthood is definitely long enough to have a person become an important part of your life. We had many visits, parties and holidays with Gramp and each one is filled with memories of laughter and happiness. I'm so grateful for the amazing family that I married into and the opportunity I've had to be a part of Gramp's life.
It's been difficult to explain his death to Addison. She's had a lot of questions and I know that she'll miss him a lot. I'm glad she was able to see him one last time yesterday and give him a love. His grandkids and great grandkids were always a bright spot in his day. He was able to live to see every one of his grandkids married in the temple. Two of them were just a few months ago. Over the past few years he's always said he needed to live for certain things, such as babies being born, missionaries coming home, or weddings. I think he finally felt like he could let go and we're grateful that he's not in pain anymore and he's with his daughter again. He will be missed by many, but the memory of him will remain in our hearts always.
