Just A Memory

My grandfather died this morning, at the age of 89. He had a DNR in place, and had stopped eating & drinking a few days ago.

I don't have many memories of him. I do have a couple, though.

Golf with my dad, and my grandfather. I was about 12. My grandfather was the only one who really knew what was going on. But, he was stubborn - always a stubborn man - and got stuck behind this one tree. He must have hit the tree 4 times in a row. He still played much better than my Dad and I. Although I had one of those shots that was unbelievable. My ball was sitting just off the green on a dogleg left par-4. In the patch of rough between the sand trap and the actual green. Fairly flat green, cup in the center. I chipped it and it went straight in.

My other memory is lots of games of Casino (or Cassino?). A fairly straight-forward card game.

The last time I saw him was when I went to a NAC in Kansas City in 2002 or 3. I drove over and had dinner with him. He took me out to the IHOP, I think. He was doing OK at that point. He had a walker in the house, and used a cane outside. He was still driving. We went back to his house and had pie after dinner. Then I drove back to KC.

I had nothing to talk to him about. He, understandably, didn't understand anything about what I do. He didn't understand my activities. He only seemed interested in watching golf. And once I exhausted my Tiger Woods knowledge, I was sunk.

All the same, I am sad that he's gone. Mostly sad for my dad, but a little bit for not making more of an effort to try to understand or know my grandfather.