Baba Moves On  − 16 July, 2008

My paternal grandfather passed away this morning. The patriarch of the Colliers.

He was 85, and his health has been declining for a while now, so I think that most of our family was mentally prepared.

Years ago, he typed up a handwritten journal he'd kept while he was in the South Pacific during World War II.  He couldn't figure out how to "save" the document on the computer, so he'd just print out each page has he typed it.  Ever since he finished it, I've been in the process of re-typing it (and saving it).  I feel like a jerk because I haven't finished it yet.

I regret not having gotten to know him better, and for forgetting the stories he used to tell. But regardless of the lack of details, I'm always going to remember his personality. "Playful" describes him well, often to the aggravation of the people close to him - especially my grandmother and the nurses who've been taking care of him. Actually, the nurses used the word "combative", which is a bit humorless.

Comments:

intrepideddie (July 16, 2008. 12:46pm)

When you get it all done, you should take a look at this: http://www.loc.gov/vets/