Friday, October 22, 2021
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My absolute favourite memory of Grandpa’s kindness, creativity and love for his grandchildren was when he planted the “Jellybean Bush” in the corner of the backyard. Imagine the amazement of my little brother and I to discover that jellybeans grow in the garden - AND we could go outside to pick them after breakfast! “But don’t pick the green ones, they’re not ripe yet!” ~ Green was his favourite jellybean. :)
As I began to grow up, Grandpa regularly shared his stories of growing up in Ohio – selling newspapers and getting into fights with the neighbourhood boys – and attempted to teach me how to do a backflip off of the diving board – he could do it beautifully while I never did learn.
A few years ago we began having regular dinner dates. Each time there would be big plans to go out for a fine steak dinner, but inevitably we ended up ordering fish & chips and a pitcher of cheap beer. We talked about how he was rebellious and started a union at the age of 15. He taught me the business strategies he used to run his successful lumber store. We reminisced about our travels and spoke of our favourite places and our craziest experiences.
This is my favourite picture of him from his days of volunteering at the Warplane Heritage Museum; a role he took such pride in. To have enjoyed the company of my grandfather for nearly 45 years makes me a lucky woman indeed, and I will be eternally grateful for his humour, his stories, and his love. ❤️
Kristen Neville Randall
