Great Grandpa Fred

Here is one more tribute to Grandpa- this is a paper Jake wrote for school before Grandpa got sick. My Dad included this in the beautiful eulogy he gave at Grandpa's funeral. I thought this paper was so sweet and so touching written by a then 12 year old boy.

Great Grandpa Fred
By Jake
12/9/07

If I told you the funniest man I know is an eighty-seven year old great-grandfather would you believe me? Even if you don’t, that doesn’t change the fact that my great-grandpa Fred is the funniest guy I know. Fred lives in an assisted living apartment in Eagan. When you go into room 321 and open up the door, you would see an old man with light gray hair and he is as tall as I want to be some day. His veins pop out and he has very soft hands. Sometimes he is a little forgetful, but when you look into his eyes, behind his glasses, you see how much he’s been through. Bravely, he fought in WWII, and he did such a good job he was awarded the bronze star. My great-grandpa loves his country very much, and that is why I admire him.

In his life he didn’t just fight in a war, he had other amazing achievements too. He got married to a lady named Margaret and had three kids: James, John, and Monnie. (James is my grandfather). Everyday he worked very hard to keep food on the table. My great-grandfather didn’t make a huge income as a magazine distributor, but their family always had the necessities. There was never a day where he didn’t work hard. His soft, quiet voice can sometimes be hard to hear, but his message is so important. He is the best storyteller I know.

I think when my great-grandpa fought in WWII he learned something about himself. He would much rather help someone than be helped. Today he still hates when people help him. The problem is sometimes he will forget to eat. When we were going to move him into an assisted living apartment, he did everything he could to stay in his old apartment. Reluctantly, he finally moved to the new apartment. Even in his new apartment he does some of his normal activities. Every Sunday he watches the Packers with my grandpa, and Culvers is still his favorite restaurant by far.

My great-grandpa enjoys staying in his room, so he doesn’t go out very often. The few times he does go out he makes a huge impression on who he meets. At first when people look at him they see a sweet old man. When they talk to him he gives them different words to describe him. People who talk to him would call him vivacious and hysterical. My great-grandpa is shy, but when he opens his shell he is an extremely interesting person.

Saying my grandpa is interesting is an understatement to all the wonderful accomplishments he has completed. There are no words in the English dictionary that would describe how special he is to me. My great-grandpa Fred is one of the greatest men I know.