You Will Be Missed

My mom went to visit her parents this weekend. She kept saying how she just felt very strongly that she needed to go visit them. She had a wonderful visit with them, having one of the best nights with them last night.
This morning my grandfather went back to live with his Heavenly Father. I wasn't too surprised, for when we saw him at Lyndee's wedding Todd had commented that my Grandpa wasn't looking too good...he was on his way out. Todd was right, for this morning he had a massive heart attack.

Just some thoughts about my Grandpa:

Roger PeartRoger was a true cowboy who worked hard everyday. He owned a ranch where he raised cattle and had many horses (as you can imagine, it was every grandchild's dream and joy to visit Grandpa's ranch). He would act tough, but he forgot that that never works when you lovingly hand over little candies to the children. My favorite were always the Root Beer Barrel hard candies.

Anyone that ever knew my grandpa liked him. He was very personable, always willing to help where he could, very sensitive to the needs of others. He was involved in his community and world around him, being the mayor, bishop, and held other leadership positions.The one thing that my Grandpa loved more than anything was his wife, Ivy. He was the ultimate sweetheart. He loved to dote on Grandma. My mom would tell us stories of him surprising my grandma with a diamond ring inside a chocolate box on Valentine's day and other romancing that he accomplished. A note was often left for my grandma, reminding her how much he loved her. I always would see him grabbing my grandma's hand as they walked. He loved her dearly and gave her anything her heart desired. They were schoolmates, and were married for almost 60 years!

Grandpa was a dancer. We would have family parties and he would dance the jitterbug, or other couples dances. He would dance with his favorite, his wife, but also would dance with his daughters, daughters-in-laws, and granddaughters and anyone else wanting to have a good time.
He always wore suspenders. I don't know why I bring that up, it's just something I always noticed and how I now picture him. Hope they have suspenders in Heaven.

Grandpa had a great sense of humor. He could laugh at about anything. I will always remember how he would watch the Rodeo Bloopers and he would just laugh and laugh as he was watching these cowboys getting thrown around. He really enjoyed life, worked hard and tried to make everything alright, but at the end his attitude was always one of joy and humor. He always said, "A man worthwhile is a man who can smile when everything goes dead wrong".The chair that my Roger is standing on is Grandpa's chair. That is where he would always sit. If anyone was sitting in it when he came to eat, they were quickly moved. As a child I would love to turn from side to side in it as it could swirl all the way around.My Grandma fixes a feast for breakfast every morning, and Grandpa would be right beside her helping her. His job was to man the skillet. He would fry the bacon, eggs, and pancakes. He did a good job. He always had a coke, even at breakfast, and the fridge was always filled with them.
Grandpa was one of the worst drivers. He never got too hurt, but to ride with him would cause all sorts of anxiety. He never used his blinker, would often cut people off (I remember this one time in California...it was pretty hilarious). He would sit at an intersection or pull out of somewhere when he wanted. His attitude was, "it's my turn" regardless of the traffic laws. Even with how uptight we all were, my grandpa would remain calm and in control, even when people were cussing him out and flipping him off. Nothing really ever made him too mad.

If you wanted to know how to travel, my grandpa was the one to talk to. He would always travel with a box, filled with crackers, cheese, nuts, a roll of paper towels, and a steak knife that was held in a sliced hole on the fold of the box and the flap at the top. If you traveled with him, he would always make sure you had all the food that you wanted.

Speaking of food, he loved McDonalds.

My grandpa was a righteous man. He loved God and served him well. He baptized me, and gave me several blessings when I was growing up. He was always an example to me, and to everyone around him. As Todd pointed out, the last place Todd saw my Grandpa was in the temple.
Grandpa, we love you and are going to miss you dearly. But we know that this is not Goodbye, but rather, See ya later. You had a good ride.

Anyone that knew him, would you please leave a comment telling a memory or story of Grandpa