Life without Irving

Irving has died at the age of 96. We think he's in heaven playing cards and holding hands with Rose (his wife). I cannot imagine all the changes he saw in the world during his time here, but he took them all in stride. He was Daddy's beloved grandfather and a wonderful great-grandfather to our girls. Irving was a mentor to Daddy, who delivered a heartfelt eulogy. I'm sure Samantha will remember him and I think Sofia will too. Irving was the kindest soul I have ever met. He just loved and didn't worry about things out of his control. He always had a smile and watched his great-grandchildren with pure joy. That's what I appreciated most. Irving will be missed and we will continue to love him for all time.
  This is what Daddy said about Irving at his service:

17 years ago I was at a cross roads in my life. I wasn’t doing well in college, my friends were dropping out or graduating and I wasn’t sure what to do. I sat down with my grandfather and told him how I felt and that I was thinking of leaving school. As was his way, he just listened to me and when I was through he told me what a big mistake I was making. He encouraged me to focus on the end result, to persevere and complete what I started. So I did, and I’m forever grateful for the talk we had that afternoon.

That was Irving and the role he filled in my life as well as many others.  He was part of the greatest generation as they’ve been called – serving his country in World War II even though it meant missing the birth of my father. He and I used to talk about all of the technological advancements he’d seen in his life. It always used to amaze him to see, and sometimes even use, some of the handheld technology that I or my kids had. I even remember Todd and I getting him to play video games with us when we were kids. He wasn’t very good at them, but he did it anyway and he had fun with it.

He was a truly honest man – one of the few I’ve ever met in my life. As a man of few words sometimes, you still always knew how he felt. He’d give you anything he had if he thought you needed it more than he did. He never expected anything in return. That’s the person he was.

I remember when my brother and I were growing up thinking it was so strange to have grandparents that were so involved in our lives. Most of our friends didn’t have grandparents that were as involved in their lives as ours were and I think it amazed them too. He was always off of work on Tuesday afternoons and if we had a baseball game, or if there was a Twins Knot Hole Day at the dome or sometimes if it was just a nice day to go fishing, you knew he’d be there.  He’d even bring along our friends sometimes and treated them just like they were his grandkids too. I see that now in the relationship my parents have with their grandchildren – those examples and shared experiences with him have now moved to the next generation. He was a true example of kindness and generosity that you just don’t see every day.  He loved model railroading and I loved spending time in the basement with him constructing sets and fixing existing ones. I remember the day he was trying to repair a train he had knocked off the table and while I was helping him fix it he super-glued my fingers together. I remember when we realized what happened, he told me I would just have one gigantic finger for the rest of my life. Thankfully, Grandma had some nail polish remover and a few choice words I won’t repeat but that were stated with a smile on her face.

I feel very fortunate that he was here to meet his great grandchildren and develop a relationship with them. He was always interested in their activities and what they were into next. I remember when my oldest daughter Samantha was born, he came to the hospital to see her that afternoon. Watching him hold her, I remember thinking about the cycle starting over and all of the things he would do with her that he did with Todd and I growing up. I remember feeling happy that he would now be a role model for her and future great grandchildren to come; passing on his knowledge and enthusiasm for life to the next generation.

I believe we can all learn something from the life of my grandfather. He displayed the character traits that truly exemplify honesty, kindness and true acceptance of anyone. I wish there were more people like him in this world.

So at this point, I’d like to say thank you to him. Thank you for all of those baseball games, for those Tuesday afternoons fishing at Lake Calhoun, and for those Sunday afternoons watching football, building trains and super-gluing my fingers together. Thank you for that day 17 years ago when you pointed me back in the right direction and thank you for the examples you set and the role you played in all of our lives. Our entire family is grateful for having you in our lives and we’ll miss you dearly.

I know where ever he is right now, he’s with Grandma Rose and that’s the one place he’d really want to be.