Friends: My maternal Grandfather died yesterday, Spud as he was known. Although he was up in years, he spiraled downhill very quickly, leaving my mother and her siblings no chance to see him in his last hours. I believe that spirits and personalities, good and bad, dwell in families and get passed down over generations. Fortunately for my family, Grandpa Spud’s was among the sweetest many have ever known. Much that I love in my mother, my aunts and uncle, my siblings, my cousins, and yes even in myself and now my own sons, came from Grandpa Spud. Grandpa was not materialistic, Grandpa was not wordly. Grandpa knew whose he was and why he was on earth. That’s what led him to the mission fields of Panama, the Philippines, and other places. Grandpa was always quick to offer his baritone laugh and a witty quip. I imagine that my Grandpa was unlike most others. Grandpa was the one who taught me how to cast a real fishing net that yoinked one of my teeth loose when I was little. How delighted was I as a kid, though, when I caught my first mullet and brim in the net. Grandpa taught me how to troll for snook in the canal, and not to be afraid of catfish (ok, I sort of still am). Grandpa is the first person I ever visited by plane ride (with Kevin at my side) unaccompanied by my parents. Grandpa let Kevin and me use all of his woodworking tools, and watch him work his wood lathe. Grandpa taught me how to play chess. Grandpa taught me what “sola fide” and “sola gracias” mean. Grandpa taught me that you can eat a soft boiled egg every morning for breakfast and still live a darn long time. Grandpa suffered from Alzheimer’s and had no short term memory for the last several years. Only months before he died, Grandpa spent some time in St. Louis with my family, and Marty and my mom had the foresight to record him doing one of the things he never forgot until the day he died: sing hymns. In this clip, you can literally watch Grandpa go from lethargy to liveliness. It would mean something to me if you took a few minutes to watch it. I was having trouble watching it in “normal quality” so if you click “high quality” it might feed better. How Great Thou Art.