Grandpa Bud 1927-2009

Exactly two weeks after Grandpa Bud had a stroke, he passed away with family and friends by his side. I said goodbye to him on May 15 at 11:30am and he died shortly after. I was so blessed to have been able to spend one last week with the most amazing grandpa ever. During that time I talked to him, read him articles from his favorite newspaper, set up classical music for him to listen to, held his hand, visited with family, helped keep him comfortable, shed lots of tears, and met many of Grammie and Grandpa Bud's friends. I heard many wonderful stories from friends and family alike. The 13 grandkids emailed some of their favorite memories to me to read aloud to Grandpa Bud. Here are some of the memories that are really special.
First the -isms:
~"Ruthie-Baby" pet name for Grammie
~the noise he makes when he puts his tongue on the roof of his mouth then pushes out
~of course "whoa-de-doh" (kind of like well, well, well or how about that?)
~"You're a good egg"
~Something that always made me laugh was Grammie and Grandpa Bud's signature exchange: "Bud?" "Hello!"
~when you hadn't seen him in a while he would give you a big bear hug and say "Hiya Sweetheart"
~always the sound effects, such as "ooosh" (said when doing a small physical task like getting out of a chair)
~"What do you got to go with my milk Ruthie?" (after dinner)
~"This will taste better in your mouth than mine"
~the loud, booming laughAnd some memories:
~sailing with G Bud - "Ready to come about? Coming about! Hard a lee!"
~climbing into bed with G and GBud as a kid at the Cape and being quizzed on state capitals, presidents, math, who's on what bill and more
~marching around to his cell phone ring tone (When the Saints Come Marching In???)
~Oh, the singing (and other acts)! "George Washington Bridge", "Twas a Dark and Stormy Night", "My High Silk Hat", "American Railroad", "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly", "Quaker Meeting"
~the humming noise he would make on the top of babies heads to settle them down(Makes me cry thinking of it. My kids were fortunate enough to experience this.)
~making ginormous bubbles
~washing the sand off his feet so meticulously before getting back in the car from the beach or going into the cottage--then he discovered flip flops
~Doing dishes is a science. Add the soap to the dish water after you have shut the water off. Less bubbles gives you a better clean. Dry the dishes in the order they were washed and your cloth will stay drier. Grandpa Bud made the mundane interesting.
~washing the windows at the Cape so we always had the best view
~body-surfing and boogie boarding not too many years ago
~his obvious adoration of Grammie
~When you were with Grandpa Bud, he knew how to make you feel like you were the most important person in the world. He was good at focusing in on your life and your interests, building from there to help you grow.
~if anything needs to be fixed, Grandpa Bud finds a way

As cousin Tyler said, "Grandpa Bud is one of the most fascinating, intelligent, and ever-curious people I've ever met and it makes me so proud to have had him as my grandfather." I love him and miss him so.