Grandpa lived in our small community all of his life as have many of his children. He had touched many lives in that time which was evident by the number of people that attended his funeral service yesterday. After the visitation period, there was a military service which was quite moving and emotional. Grandpa served in the US Navy during World War II and his fellow veterans from the American Legion paid him an honorable tribute. A religious service followed during which Sara and I were asked to speak and share our memories of Grandpa. Grandpa's friend John also gave a heartfelt speech of his time growing up with Grandpa and woodworking in their later years. They were life-long friends. The service was beautiful.
I knew this time was inevitable, the day my first grandparent would pass, but it did not make speaking at his funeral any easier. I had some difficulty getting my first words out, but with my sisters and cousins standing up with me, we went on to share the wonderful memories we had of Grandpa and how he touched our lives. I could barely bring myself to look up at my Dad, Aunts, and Uncle in the front row as we shared our wonderful memories...some which prompted laughter, others tears. I thought I'd share our words here too...Grandpa will sure be missed.
Remembering GrandpaAt 30 years old, I am grateful to have had Grandpa in my life for as long as I did, but when asked to speak today, it occurred to me that I was only a part of less than half of his long, happy, and accomplished life. He did so much in the 53 years he lived before I was even born. There are so many more good things to say than we can begin to imagine. I hope that our reflections today can speak on behalf of ALL of his grand-children, of how we loved him and will miss him.
Grandpa was proud, loving, unselfish, and hardworking. He took great joy in doing for others which is evident in his military commitment and years of working in roles servicing others. He loved Grandma and took a lot of pride in caring for her at home. When Grandma began using a wheelchair, Grandpa built a ramp into their house, and was brave enough to test the ramp first…just to find that it was too steep when he tipped over in the scooter.
In his later years, Grandpa took a fondness to baking – always making sure there was fresh bread and sweets in the house. He also loved making fudge and loved to tell everyone of all the new varieties he’d made. We could always count on Grandpa’s fudge (and LOTS of it!) at Christmas time. We will miss that this year.
Another holiday favorite was Grandpa’s grasshoppers. I cannot remember NOT having grasshoppers at Boyer family Christmas gatherings, a tradition which Grandpa started. I remember as a kid, even when we were very young, we still got little shot glass samples of Grandpa’s grasshoppers.
Conversations (or yelling matches) with Grandpa were always interesting, especially in his later years as his hearing continued to diminish. He’s probably lucky that his driving didn’t take him over many train crossings, as he more than likely would not have heard a train coming!
Woodworking became Grandpa’s passion in his later years. His hobby turned into a little source of income, and he loved every minute he spent working in the garage. I’m pretty sure I have one of his original benches… along with the chairs on my front porch, table and chairs in my daughter’s bedroom, and table in my front entry. Every member of our family can list the number of pieces he’s made for us. As he became more skilled with his work, his pride in the little details of his creations shined through his smile. 'That's just sawdust in there!" was Grandpa’s response when his voice became a little nasaly. Some other memorable quotes include "Do you know how many plugs are in that bench.?", "Do you know what kind of wood this is made of?", "Feel how heavy this is...that is some solid oak?" The weight of Grandpa’s pieces were always a source of conversation – often referred to as lead – he certainly didn’t compromise on quality with his woodworking! When Emmit was born, Grandpa mentioned that he would make a third chair for the little (and yes, very heavy) table he made for us - just in case, Ellie or Emmit had a friend over – so they could all sit together.
On his birthday and at Christmas-time he would allow himself to indulge in whiskey and vodka shots even though he hated the taste of everyone. This was about the only time Grandpa drank, and it always turned in a competition with himself – to see how much he could drink in one sitting!
Grandpa hung out ‘in town’ a lot. He often enjoyed a Coke at the Swallow Inn while catching up on small-town gossip. He was a frequent customer of Mikey B’s grill. I’m sure many Rapid River residents will have memories of Grandpa.
Grandpa was stubborn at times – a trait that has trickled its way into younger generations of the Boyer family. I won’t go so far as to mention names, but you know who you are…I know who I am.
When Grandpa and Grandma had their camp on the Stonington peninsula, we would often go there to spend time in the summer, swimming in the lake, taking saunas, and playing lots of Rummy. Grandpa would take us for 4-wheeler rides – usually a bunch of us at a time in the trailer. His loving ways were shown in his care for Molly the albino deer…she was shunned by her deer friends, but would eat right out of Grandpa’s hand. He hung pictures of Molly and her fawns on the wall.
Grandpa proudly hung his enormous United States flag every day and loved his white picket fence. I remember helping him paint that fence. A large wood pile often sat out in front of his garage.
Grandpa loved his La-Z-Boy and it was usually dirty because he got dirty working in the garden or in the garage. A sheet over the chair became a permanent fixture.
When I played basketball at UW-GB, I remember Grandpa attending many of my games. He would come down with our parents and sometimes spend the night with them at Stacey’s. He pretty much wore a UW-GB sweatshirt from 2000 on – it was a sure-hit Christmas gift every year. When I saw him last Tuesday coming back from Mayo Clinic he was wearing his GB Phoenix hat. I don't think he went anywhere without something Phoenix on.
These are just some of the memories that we have of Grandpa and as we reflect this holiday season, I am sure we will think of more. Words definitely do go without saying though; we loved him and will miss him in our lives. We pray that he is at peace in heaven… maybe even got his hearing back…and keeps woodworking to his heart’s content while he watches over all of us.
