His eyes twinkled...

... and he would shout "oh, boy!" as we came to give him a welcoming hug. His exclamations of "Oh, boy!" would continue until he would release us and we would look into those ice blue eyes, and see the life flashing behind them.

I remember...

...He was deployed to Italy shortly before D-Day. He was pulled from the lines and put in charge of entertaining the troops. He assisted the chaplains during the day, and at night he took the minds of the soldiers far from their uncertainty and fear.

...He walked in the parade as General Patton was laid to rest.

... He spoke of "meeting" our Grandma, "I followed a pair of trim ankles into the theater..." we would say, "Oh, Grandpa..." and then he would say, "Then I asked her out." And he would jut his chin out in a defiant way, as if to say, "I knew she would say yes." Grandma would shake her head and say, "Oh, Win."

...He sang, and played - music was his middle name. The barbershop concerts were a joy to attend.

...He tuned our piano, and our ears, to hear his stories.

...He played that trumpet, straightening up like the young man he was on the inside. His eyes held a far off look, he was remembering.

...If you were careful, you could capture his exact look for that day, maybe his loving look at grandma, or his quiet smile as he listened. But if you were lucky he might catch you and you could capture a man of thirty, those pictures will be cherished.

...He left behind a legacy, his wife, his five children, his twenty grandchildren, and his nineteen great-grandchildren, but he took part of our hearts with him...

He passed away Friday morning the 8th of July, after saying good morning to his wife... We still weep, we still morn, we still hear his laugh and see his face, but we have said goodbye. We as a family are journeying through the cycle of life over this week and next, we celebrated a new life last evening, we will celebrate a union of two people on Friday and we will celebrate the long life of a wonderful man next week. The Lord is good, He reminds us of life for a reason. We may weep and mourn, but He is still sovereign... and through it all, we feel His peace.

"But ask the animals what they think—let them teach you;

 let the birds tell you what's going on. 

Put your ear to the earth—learn the basics. 

Listen—the fish in the ocean will tell you their stories. 

Isn't it clear that they all know and agree that God is sovereign, 

that he holds all things in his hand— Every living soul, yes, every breathing creature? 

Isn't this all just common sense, as common as the sense of taste? 

Do you think the elderly have a corner on wisdom,

 that you have to grow old before you understand life?"

Job 12:7